- Nodal teams to escort international transfer passengers 24x7.
- Ground staff must deploy dedicated crew for passenger supervision.
- Digital and physical checks strengthened for transfer corridors.
Jagran Correspondent, New Delhi: Following a serious security and immigration lapse at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport) in Delhi, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Bureau of Immigration have introduced stricter security protocols.
According to Jagran.com citing sources, under the new system, nodal teams will remain available 24 hours a day to physically escort passengers arriving in Delhi (the hub on domestic flights), who are scheduled to take onwards international flights. Such passengers will be escorted directly to the appropriate immigration counter.
The new measures come after a major security breach that occurred around midnight on September 3. Three Italian citizens arrived in Delhi from Amritsar on an Air India flight.
Instead of being escorted through the designated exit gate for immigration clearance, the passengers were mistakenly directed by ground staff into the “International-to-International” transfer corridor.
The three passengers boarded a Lufthansa flight to Munich and departed India without completing passport or immigration clearance.
The incident was detected later during a manual reconciliation of travel documents. Following the incident, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a show-cause notice to Air India, while the Ministry of Home Affairs convened an emergency meeting with senior officials from various security agencies.
In June, the Ministry of Civil Aviation introduced the "Hub-and-Spoke", also known as the “Easy Connect", model through Air India to provide passengers with a smoother and more seamless travel experience.
ALSO READ: Delhi Airport Drops Boarding Pass Stamping For Immigration; What Passengers Need To Know
Under the system, passengers travelling abroad from smaller cities, or "spokes", such as Amritsar and Varanasi via Delhi, the "hub", can complete immigration and customs clearance at their originating airport. This eliminates the need for them to undergo the process again after arriving in Delhi.
However, in this case, the three passengers were holding “D” (Domestic) category boarding passes issued in Amritsar and were therefore not eligible for the direct international transfer facility. Despite this, they were mistakenly allowed into the international transfer area.
What Has Changed?
- Ground-handling agencies have been instructed to deploy dedicated nodal crew members around the clock.
- Passengers arriving on spoke flights who are required to undergo immigration clearance in Delhi will be escorted to the immigration counters under the direct supervision of the nodal team.
- Digital and physical checks between domestic and international transfer corridors are being strengthened to ensure that no passenger can bypass mandatory security and immigration procedures.