Pune: All employees of Airport Authority of India (AAI), airline staffers, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the ground staff will get a biometric access card at the Pune airport, Lohegaon with a view to tighten security in March 2019. The system will be introduced under the ‘Digi Yatra’ project. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) recently approved the new security system.
According to officials at the airport, the biometric facility is mandatory for all employees of the airport including the CISF personnel, the staff and ground staff of private airlines and ground handling agents. Over 1,500 employees work at the Pune airport. Earlier, they were issued the Airport Entry Pass (AEP) every year.
“The BCAS recently approved the launch of the facility for a trial run. The ‘Access Control System’ is managed by the BCAS. A new card will be made available to them. The card-holder will have a restricted entry to place of their work. They will not be able to go any other part of the airport other than their allotted workspace,” said Ajay Kumar, Director, Pune Airport.
“There are access control gates for the airport entry permit holders. From these machines and new entry permits, the access to different areas of the airport will be controlled. The machine is not merely an attendance machine, the system is totally different,” said Kumar.
As per the official, there are 13 zones inside the terminal building at the Pune airport. In the manual entry pass, all zones are mentioned and staffs can move freely to any zone. After the introduction of the new system, the pass-holder will have only restricted area, where he or she is deputed.
Area of operation