CHENNAI: Chennai Airport officials will convene a high-level meeting to assess security measures following the fire at London’s Heathrow Airport, which exposed vulnerabilities in aviation infrastructure. The meeting, announced by Deputy Inspector General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Arun Singh, aims to discuss and implement lessons learned from the Heathrow incident.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Coastal Security Awareness cum Cyclist Reception Function, scheduled for Tuesday at Marina Beach, Singh confirmed that the Airports Authority of India, CISF, and fire services will participate in the discussions.
"The focus will be on analysing the incident (at Heathrow) and strengthening safety protocols at Chennai Airport," he said, responding to to a query on safeguarding critical airport infrastructure.
Last week, a fire at an electricity substation at Heathrow Airport—one of the busiest in the world—caused a massive power outage, disrupting travel for nearly 200,000 passengers. The incident has prompted airports worldwide to re-evaluate their emergency preparedness.
Singh also highlighted ongoing efforts to bolster airport security, including advanced access control systems, 3D scanning technology, and CCTV upgrades as part of a broader modernization initiative. Plans are also underway to expand CISF units at the airport,
In addition to enhancing security infrastructure, CISF has been actively involved in curbing smuggling activities. Over the past two years, Chennai Airport’s CISF personnel have intercepted 12 cases of foreign currency smuggling worth Rs 2.56 crore and thwarted 10 gold smuggling attempts totaling Rs 9.17 crore. They also recovered Rs 5.01 crore worth of unattended property during the same period, he said.
Singh also provided updates on the ongoing Cyclothon, a large-scale cycling event flagged off by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On Tuesday, CISF will host a welcome ceremony for the cyclists, attended by top security officials and coastal security stakeholders. The Cyclothon will continue to Puducherry on March 26, said DIG G Sivakumar, the nodal officer of the event, who also addressed reporters.
During the event, a special video message from actor Rajinikanth on the cyclothon was played, in which he recalled the 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed 175 lives. He urged coastal people to report suspicious persons to the local police.