Centre issues directive to curb tailgating at egates for Digi Yatra passengers
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has asked airports and airlines to use better technology and assign more manpower resources to prevent passengers from tailgating through automatic gates at various checkpoints.
This is needed to ensure the smooth implementation of Digi Yatra, a system for paperless travel.
“Strict instructions have been given against tailgating wherever there are egates,” a senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity.
Security breaches
The government directive follows two serious security breaches within 10 days in February when ticketless travellers entered the passenger building and even the boarding gate at Mumbai airport.
On February 22, a 22yearold man travelling without a ticket was able to reach the aerobridge by walking closely behind other passengers and passing through the terminal entry gate where CISF staff were carrying out manual checking, followed by one egate before the passenger screening area and another after it. The man was stopped by an IndiGo staff after he had entered an aerobridge to board a plane.
Earlier, on February 12, a man in his 60s was similarly able to travel through the airport and even enter an IndiGo aircraft. Egate manufacturers have been asked to improve their technology to ensure that two passengers cannot pass through them at the same time.
Airlines have also been told to follow the standard operating procedures that have been laid down, deploy adequate manpower at the boarding gates, and ensure that passengers are boarded zonewise to avoid overcrowding.
Digi Yatra, a biometricbased boarding system which allows passengers to use their facial scan as a ticket, has been rolled out at 13 airports so far and 24 more airports will get the facility in 2024.