NEW DELHI: Home minister Amit Shah Wednesday directed that all 62 major airports in the country, including 21 under development and 41 prioritised for development, based on passenger traffic, be brought in line within two years, with standards prescribed by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), with the objective of enhancing passenger convenience while ensuring that the commercial areas remain within prescribed norms.Chairing a meeting to review passenger facilities, security arrangements and the immigration system at the major airports, Shah asked the ministry of civil aviation – represented by minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu – to lay down norms for the number of aerobridges at all airports, after taking into account passenger and air traffic. He asked that the baggage drop facility, currently available at 16 major airports, be extended to other international airports with high passenger volume.Shah also pitched for the installation of an automated X-ray tray return system (ARTS) – and making this part of the standard norms – in a phased manner at all airports of the country to cut human resource costs. He suggested the ministry and CISF commission separate third-party studies during the peak travel season to assess and reduce passenger delays at all touch-points across major airports.Dwelling on immigration and visa compliance matters, Shah sought the operationalisation of the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) offices at all state headquarters by 2027. At present, FRRO offices exist at a dozen locations, with the FRRO functions being discharged by the district SP in other places. Shah also ordered that authorised immigration checkpoints at Agartala and Jewar airports should be made operational at the earliest.Aiming to promote the Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Travellers’ Programme (FTI-TTP), which allows pre-approved passengers to clear immigration through automated e-gates with biometric identification, in partnership with the airlines, the home minister said a mechanism should be established wherein the airline can send a WhatsApp invite to passengers at the time of booking of an international ticket, to register for FTI-TTP.
