Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik International Airport in the city along with other airports in the country were put on high alert following a directive from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Thursday.
Security in an around the airport will be tightened till August 30 in view of Parliament scrapping Article 370, said airport director SC Hota.
There could be random frisking on the airport premises and movements will be restricted, said a Civil Aviation Ministry official. The enhanced security arrangements were also put in place ahead of Independence Day on August 15, he added.
Security measures:
- Entry to airport building could be restricted
- The usual meeting place at the arrival terminal could be out of bounds
- Entry vehicles will be checked randomly
The IGI airport in Delhi has already advised domestic passengers to report three hours before flight departure. International passengers have been advised to report at least four hours before the scheduled departure time.
Budget carrier IndiGo, which corners about 90 per cent of the passenger traffic in Bhubaneswar airport, in a Tweet advised people to “report three hours prior to departure to avoid any hassles.”
#6ETravelUpdate: Due to enhanced security measures owing to Independence Day, passengers are advised to report atleast 3 hrs prior departure to avoid any hassle.
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 7, 2019
Earlier, the Civil Aviation Ministry had directed airports to step up security following the scrapping of Article 370 which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
