Pune: The Pune airport will be the first under the Airport Authority of India (AAI) international airports, customs and civil airports to start a trial run of full body scanner from November, which is among the ultra-modern facilities at all airports in India. The trial run will last for three months, said Pune Airport Director Ajay Kumar.
The AAI has appointed Delhi-based company Rohde & Schwarz India Pvt Ltd to set up the facility. According to the official, the company will start a trial run in November.
“Pune has become the first airport across India to get the facility. The body scanner will be installed by the company for trial run for three months. Initially, they will set up the system near security hold area (SHA),” Kumar told Sakal Times.
The AAI has selected four airports to start the facility,” Kumar added.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), responsible for Indian aviation security, sent a circular in April this year, directing 84 airports across the country to instal body scanners at Indian airports by March 2020. Currently, walk-through metal detectors and hand-held metal detectors are used at all airports.
Of the 84 airports, 28 are classified as hypersensitive, including those in big cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and in conflict areas like Jammu & Kashmir and Northeast. However the trial run was done three months ago in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Trivandrum but first, it would be operationalised in Agartala.
“Scanning the body in less than a minute is required at all airports. It will help the security personnel to clear the queue,” said Kumar.
During checking, the body scanner screen will show OK if the passenger doesn’t have a concealed item. If there is concealed item, the scanner will alert the security personnel.
Most developed countries have body scanners for travellers at different levels in the international airports, right from entrance point of the airport to the exit point for the aircraft.
