For the first time in India, full body scanners, CTX machines will be installed for passengers at Delhi’s IGI Airport…

Now passengers will soon get new facilities at Indira Gandhi International Airport of the national capital Delhi. Passenger traffic at Indira Gandhi International Airport is now going to be more world class, where passengers will not have to stand in queues for hours to get checked. During security checking, passengers will not need to remove laptops, mobile phones and other items from their bags.

According to the information, the work of installing full body scanners and computed tomography X-ray machines will start at all the major airports of the country. These machines are also to be installed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Special category passengers i.e. those using wheelchairs will not be able to pass through these full-body scanner machines. Door pre metal detectors will be installed for scanning such passengers.

Let us tell you that these scanners are already present in many airports globally, capable of checking passengers faster than metal detectors and manual frisking. CTX scanners are used for screening cabin or carry-on baggage and do not require passengers to separate electronic devices and liquids for screening. After the installation of both these machines at Indira Gandhi International Airport, it is believed that the time taken for security check of passengers for departure will reduce. Body and CTX scanners at large airports with heavy traffic will not only reduce congestion and reduce delays, but will also ensure more complete and comprehensive security than metal detectors and manual frisking. Due to this, there may be a reduction in the crowd of passengers at the airport.

Let us inform you that earlier this year, BCAS had directed all airports handling more than 1 crore passengers and 50 lakh passengers annually to install full body scanners and CTX scanners by December 31. However, the process has been delayed due to some provisions being made. The first scanner is now expected to be operational from IGI airport by May. It is noteworthy that IGI Airport operated by GMR is the busiest airport in India. It handled over 6.5 crore passengers in FY 2022-23 and for FY 24, the passenger count could cross 7 crore.

Let us tell you that an expansion project is also going on at the airport, which will soon increase its annual passenger handling capacity to more than 10 crores. Delhi Airport was ranked among the ten busiest airports globally for 2022 by Airports Council International, the airport trade association. Let us tell you that these machines will be installed gradually at every airport. The machines are being purchased by airport operators through contracts with foreign manufacturers. Some airports had requested BCAS to reconsider the December 31 deadline as they were still in the process of deciding on their requirement of CTX scanners and the modalities of installing the machines at airport terminals. In fact, due to the increase in the number of air passengers in India, the need is being felt for immediate installation of these machines at congested airports. According to the passenger traffic data of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), there were seven airports in the country in the financial year 2023 where the attendance of more than one crore passengers was recorded, which include Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. Is. Airports expected to handle 50 lakh to 1 crore passengers in FY2023 include Goa, Lucknow, Guwahati, Kochi and Pune.