The Ministry of Civil Aviation has rolled out new access control measures across all airports in the country. It has withdrawn commercial Airport Entry Pass (AEP) and restricted protocol or facilitation extended to a section of passengers to ‘Meet and Greet’ service.
Putting an end to commercial AEPs would affect a large number of major business establishments, luxury hotels and tour operators who utilise the passes to extend facilitation at arrival/departure terminals at airports for their guests in the process of check-in and baggage collection.
In the new guidelines that take immediate effect, the Ministry urged States to ensure that access to aerodrome is controlled. Entry should be restricted to bonafide passengers and persons, including employees, having legitimate functions and issued with an AEP or Admission Ticket.
Among those who were exempted from requiring AEP to enter airports were passengers with a valid ticket, operating crew of an aircraft that has landed at the airport, MPs with a valid identity card issued by Parliament with access restricted to check-in and baggage claim area and any government servant authorised by the Director-General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, to carry out legitimate duties in an emergency situation.
Under the protocol category, two passes would be issued to two persons recommended by MPs, including one at India Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. Each Union Cabinet Minister, Minister of State with Independent Charge, Minister of State in the Council of Ministers, Government of India, and Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Leaders of Opposition in both Houses of Parliament could recommend passes to two persons of their choice. These two AEPs would be over and above the two passes VIPs are entitled to in their capacity as MPs.
All government ministries, departments, subordinate offices, PSUs, national/Multi-State cooperative societies, etc would be entitled to two AEPs for official purposes. While the Supreme Court was granted 15 AEPs, High Courts would be eligible for four passes with access to Security Hold Area.
For senior functionaries of the civil administration and police of State governments, it was decided that the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director-General of Police, Secretary to Governor, Secretary to Chief Minister, Secretary in-charge of Protocol Department, ADGP, Chief of Intelligence, Zonal Inspector-General of Police, Range Deputy-Inspector General of Police and Superintendent of Police would be eligible for one pass each.
Withdrawing issue of Commercial AEPs for protocol purposes, the Ministry introduced ‘Meet & Greet’ Service for providing required assistance for those seeking the facility on the payment of a nominal fee.
