Airlines don’t have to send mails to passengers, nor collect additional information, in order to comply with the new regulations that require them to provide details of international air travellers to the Customs department, the government clarified on Wednesday.
“Passengers are not required to individually submit any information to Customs, neither do they need to furnish any additional information to the airlines on account of these regulations,” said the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in a press statement after some airlines started sending mails to passengers to collect the information sought.
The CBIC said that all the information required is already being collected by airlines under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Passenger Name Record Information Regulations, 2022 notified by the CBIC on August 8 require airlines to mandatorily provide details of passengers booked on international flights to and from India, including passenger name record (PNR), date of intended travel, credit card number, and seat information. These can be accessed by the Customs department and shared with any other law enforcement agency in the country or in the world on a case- to-case basis.
It said that the regulations aim to “enhance detection, interdiction and investigative capabilities of Customs Authorities” using non-intrusive techniques for combating offences related to smuggling of contraband such as narcotics, psychotropic substances, gold, arms and ammunition that impact national security.
The transfer of information from the airlines to the Customs department is prescribed through a format that is endorsed by World Customs Organisation (WCO), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is widely used internationally, said the CBIC.
