TIRUCHY: With the Airports Authority of India (AAI) trying to make all airports tag-free, Tiruchy International Airport started a trial run from Tuesday at its domestic terminals. CISF personnel now monitor passenger movements through high-end cameras installed for the purpose. Tiruchy airport is the third in Tamil Nadu to implement the scheme.
A total of 17 airports are stamp-free in the country at present and several more would be added to the list. The CISF, tasked to monitor 59 civilian airports against terror and security threats, will soon launch trials of the new system at Amritsar, Chandigarh, Varanasi, Udaipur, Dibrugarh, Nagpur, Mangalore, Tiruchy, Pune and Ranchi airports.
According to a senior airport official, “Tiruchy will become the third airport in the State after Chennai and Coimbatore to attempt the scheme. Tag-free operations would reduce waiting times for passengers before boarding a flight. The CISF would completely monitor passengers through the high-end cameras installed at the airport.”
Previously, passengers had baggage checked by CISFG personnel and the tag stamped after being cleared. Now the entire stamping process will be done away with and replaced by a more hi-tech process.
The trials in Tiruchy would last seven days and the scheme is to be gradually implemented at the international terminal. Adequate security measures are in place at the airport, said officials.
As the Centre is on a mission to make all airports passenger-friendly and hassle-free, airports across the country are going tag-free, a senior AAI official told Express.