NEW DELHI: Flight operators and airport officials have stepped up checks on transfer passengers at Delhi airport following directions from immigration authorities after three passengers bypassed mandatory immigration clearance earlier this month, sources said.
The enhanced checks are being carried out at transfer points to verify the nature of passengers' onward journeys and ensure that those required to undergo immigration do not bypass the process.
The directions follow a September 4 incident in which three passengers travelling from Amritsar to Munich via Delhi were incorrectly routed through the international transfer channel without completing departure immigration.
As an interim measure, airline staff have been instructed to closely verify the 'I' and 'D' indicators printed on boarding passes. The markings identify whether a passenger is travelling on an international or domestic sector and determine the transfer route to be followed, sources said.
Ground-handling staff have also intensified physical checks in transfer areas, particularly for passengers moving from domestic to international flights.
“All international transfer passengers' boarding passes are being thoroughly checked to avoid a repeat of the September 4 lapse,” a source said.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Central Industrial Security Force, Bureau of Immigration, airport operators and airlines are discussing measures to strengthen the transfer system, sources added.
On September 12, the Civil Aviation Ministry issued a show-cause notice to Air India after concerns were raised by the Home Ministry over the incident.
According to the notice, the approved hub-and-spoke standard operating procedure requires strict segregation of domestic and international passengers based on the 'D' and 'I' indicators on boarding passes. Only passengers carrying an 'I' boarding pass are allowed through the international-to-international transfer area.
The three passengers had been issued 'D' boarding passes for the Amritsar-Delhi sector but were also given onward Lufthansa boarding passes at Amritsar. On reaching Delhi, they were allegedly escorted to the international transfer area instead of being directed to the immigration area to complete departure formalities before boarding their flight to Munich.
The Civil Aviation Ministry also questioned the issuance of onward Lufthansa boarding passes at Amritsar, saying the approved hub-and-spoke SOP does not provide for issuing such boarding passes at a spoke airport.
Air India has been asked to explain why the prescribed passenger segregation was not followed, why the passengers were routed through the international transfer channel and what role its personnel and ground-handling agency SATS played in the incident.
Under the existing hub-and-spoke model, passengers travelling from designated spoke airports to international destinations are required to complete immigration at the spoke airport before boarding their onward international flight at the hub airport.