New Delhi [India] April 19 : Following a two-year ban due to the COVID pandemic, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) recently restored full passenger capacity in Indian and international airports. civil aviation called for biometric screening.
However, numerous airports in the country have reported large lines during peak flying hours.
During the recently concluded budget session, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture delivered its reports to the parliament and suggested non-intrusive screening entrance inside airports.
“During its discussions with the Ministry, the Committee frequently mentioned that at a couple of the airports, there are long passenger lines during peak hours.”
More actions may be taken to settle the issue in light of the government advice for avoiding public meetings in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Committee also takes note of the Ministry’s intention to increase the number of flights.
“The Committee observes that at most airports in the country, Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs), Hand Held Metal Detectors (HHMDs), and physical frisking are performed at random,” according to the parliamentary panel’s report.
The Committee believes that the current DFMD or HHMD system, in addition to having outdated technology, is invading passengers’ privacy.
“In this context, the Committee proposes that, in addition to efforts taken to reduce lineups, the Ministry expedite its proposal for the installation of Full Body Scanners at airports, which would improve passenger frisking technology and contribute to faster clearance of queues at frisking sites.”
Furthermore, the number of frisking stations at airports may be expanded, and appropriately qualified people should be stationed to efficiently man these counters,” according to the research.
To reduce crowding at airports across the country, the parliamentary group advised in its report deploying biometric facilities and retinal scanners for passenger identification.
“The Ministry should investigate the viability of biometric screening of passengers at airports, employing methods such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, and retinal scanning, which are now utilised at numerous airports across the world.”
“The Committee requests that the Ministry investigate the possibility of retinal scans for frisking passengers, given the retinal scan data of the majority of domestic passengers is available in the Aadhaar database,” according to the report.
“Biometric security is non-intrusive and speedier than conventional screening, resulting in faster screening of passengers and less crowded at airports, and is thus being implemented at numerous airports across the world.”
“As a result, the Committee advises that the country implement worldwide best practises for biometric scanning and screening of passengers,” it added.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia voiced confidence in India’s aviation industry returning to pre-pandemic levels on Monday.
On Monday, India’s aviation industry served nearly four lakh domestic passengers in a single day.
The development has been dubbed “historic.” Scindia told ANI, “It was a very terrible time in the earlier years because of the covid epidemic.”
Over the last ten days, we have witnessed over 3.7, 3.8, and 3.9 lakh passengers in a single day. I’m certain that local and international travel in India is resuming in a big way.”