The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) would soon have an In-Line Baggage Screening (ILBS) system for passengers in compliance with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) norms.
Passengers will not have to queue up near the X-ray machines to scan their hold baggage before check-in under the new system installed at the T-II terminal.
The screening system, considered one of the biggest security upgrades in civil aviation since 9/11, will scan the baggage swiftly instead of the present piece-by-piece screening.
Minimal manual check
The check-in baggage, gliding along the conveyor, will be screened automatically by a machine fixed to the system.
The machine will clear more than 70% of the baggage without manual intervention. The baggage rejected by the first machine will be manually screened in another machine integrated to the conveyor.
If the baggage fails the second screening, it will be taken off the conveyor and the passenger will be called in by the screeners of the AAI.
Pact signed
The baggage will then be physically examined in the presence of the passenger. Security agencies’ personnel will not be involved in screening.
The AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd (AAICLAS), the integrated logistics arm and independent subsidiary under the AAI, will manage, supervise and administer the ILBS as per the pact signed between the AAI and AAICLAS.
In place in Kannur
The airport here is among the 12 AAI-managed airports in the country to get ILBS. The Kannur International Airport had installed the ILBS at the time of commissioning itself.
“The screening system has already been installed in the T-II (international terminal). A U.S. team was at the airport for two days to check the installation. The formal commissioning will be carried out after trials,” Airport Director C.V. Ravindran told The Hindu .
Reducing congestion
Besides ensuring safe and secure in-line hold baggage screening system, the ILBS will reduce passenger congestion at check-in area by relocating the screening machines. The ILBS will also enhance overall safety of airline travel and will be a single platform for baggage access.
