Previous trials at Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and Delhi international airports did not produce satisfactory results
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has set a new deadline of June 2024 for airports across India to install full body scanners. These scanners detect objects on or inside a person’s body for security screening, a practice already in place in countries like Australia, Canada, and the US.
In its latest advisory, the BCAS specified that airports with an annual footfall of at least five million passengers must have at least one full body scanner. Additionally, Srinagar, Jammu, and Ayodhya airports are also required to install these scanners.
Airports with both domestic and international terminals must ensure each security checkpoint has at least one full body scanner. Currently, only the new terminal (T-2) of Bengaluru airport has three full body scanners under trial.
Previous trials at Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and Delhi international airports did not produce satisfactory results. A senior officer from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), involved in these trials, noted, “During these trials, we found that the body scanners were unable to detect prohibited items below the ankle and above the chin. Some small prohibited items also escaped detection. Since it did not yield expected results, nothing could be taken forward. Detailed reports were submitted to the authorities concerned,” he said, requesting anonymity.
Initial trials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in December 2016 revealed that the scanners raised false alarms when women wearing saris passed through. Alarms were often triggered by a mangalsutra or metal embroidery on clothing.
Despite requests to manufacturers to adjust the specifications to suit Indian needs, issues persisted during further trials in 2017 and 2018. A fine-tuned version of the scanners was tested again at Delhi airport in 2019 but still did not meet expectations.
