New Delhi: Over three dozen airports run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will have more intense screening and less waiting time in the future. The central government is moving to buy new scanners with better technology. It is in the process of procuring 131 full-body scanners and 600 new hand-baggage scanners at over Rs 1,000 crore. The most prominent ones on the list of over three dozen AAI airports are Chennai and Kolkata, besides Srinagar and Amritsar, as per a News18 exclusive report.
The airports in Delhi and Mumbai, run by private companies, are also planning to buy such equipment on the fast-track mode this year. News18 claimed to have accessed the global tender documents issued by the AAI for the airports it operates directly. The full-body scanners will cost Rs 788 crore; and the hand-baggage scanners, Rs 246 crore. Privacy concerns and later the Covid pandemic delayed the project but the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has since pushed for it, according to the report.
The door frame-type metal detectors being used at present will be replaced with full-body scanners, quickening the security clearance process by reducing the need for pat-downs. This will also ensure better screening, particularly at sensitive and hypersensitive airports.
The new scanners for hand baggage can eliminate the need for passengers to take out laptops and phones, and other such gadgets from their hand luggage.
According to News18, 43 airports will be covered by these 131 full-body scanners and 600 new hand-baggage machines. On the list are Amritsar, Goa, Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Varanasi, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Raipur, Tirupati, Bhopal, Visakhapatnam, Patna, Gorakhpur and Port Blair, among others.
The highest number of body scanners will be installed at Kolkata (13), Chennai (12) and Goa (8) as these airports see high traffic. If the tendering goes smoothly, the deal is expected to be signed by September. Delivery timelines will then be clearer.
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