Union home minister Amit Shah this morning chaired a high-level review meeting on passenger facilities, security arrangements and immigration systems at major airports in the country and ordered authorities to modernise security infrastructure and make passenger movements easier.
The meeting was attended by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Immigration Bureau and other aviation stakeholders.
ATRS to Be Installed Across Airports
One of the key decisions taken in the meeting was the phased installation of the Automated X-ray Tray Return System (ATRS) at airports across India.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said Amit Shah directed that ATRS be introduced in a phased manner at all airports for efficiency and to remove manual handling in the security screening process.
The Home Minister also instructed officials to establish uniform technical standards so that every new airport constructed in the country is equipped with the Automated X-ray Tray Return System from the outset.
ATRS is designed to automatically return security trays to passengers waiting in line after baggage screening, reducing manual intervention, shortening queues and enabling faster processing at security checkpoints.
Focus on Seamless Passenger Movement
Shah also ordered officials to develop a comprehensive framework for each step of a passenger's airport journey.
He added that airport planning should take into account the interdependence between **entry gates, check-in counters, security screening lanes and immigration counters** to ensure that congestion at one point does not affect the whole passenger flow.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a coordinated plan has been prepared for each passenger touch-point to integrate the way they travel through airports.
The aim is to minimize waiting times, improve efficiency and provide a smoother travel experience as passenger traffic continues to rise across India's aviation sector.
Review of Security and Immigration Systems
But the review also discussed airport security and the introduction of more immigration at major airports.
The current arrangements for passenger screening, security checks and immigration clearance were discussed in terms of efficiency without compromising security standards, officials said.
Such a meeting forms the basis of the government’s effort to modernize airport infrastructure in line with India's rapid growth of the civil aviation sector.
Supporting India's Growing Aviation Sector
India is one of the world’s most rapidly growing aviation markets with traffic growth in passenger numbers and several new airports under development.
The government’s focus on technology-based solutions including the Automated X-ray Tray Return System is a manifestation of the government’s desire to have more intelligent airport operations that will cope with the scale of passenger volumes and the convenience and security that have come with it.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the measures discussed during the review are aimed at creating a more efficient, secure and passenger-friendly airport ecosystem across the country.
