July 31, 2023
New Delhi
The improper carriage of seemingly innocuous items such as cigarette lighters, scissors, power banks, perfume sprays, and laptops is costing security agencies over 1,200 hours daily at airports in India, says Zulfiqar Hasan, Director-General of Aviation at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
India’s aviation safety regulator BCAS has noted a steady growth in the country’s aviation sector, and Hasan emphasized the need to build a robust safety culture to keep up with the increasing number of passengers and flights. Every day, nearly 800,000 hand baggage items, comprising 5 lakh individual items, are checked-in by 4.8 lakh passengers on approximately 3,300 flights at different Indian airports.
During the Aviation Safety Week briefing in New Delhi, Hasan revealed that the percentage of these commonly confiscated items discovered daily varies in both hand and checked-in baggage. In hand baggage, lighters make up 26 per cent, scissors 22 per cent, knives 16 per cent, and liquids and aerosols 14 per cent, accounting for a total of 80 per cent of the items confiscated. Similarly, in checked-in baggage, 44 per cent of discovered items are power banks, 19 per cent are lighters, 17 per cent are loose batteries, and 11 per cent are laptops.
Although cigarette lighters are banned in both hand and checked-in baggage, passengers are allowed to carry other items in designated baggage. Unfortunately, many passengers seem to disregard the prescribed procedures, leading to inconveniences for airport security and themselves. Consequently, passengers are required to report 90 minutes before domestic flights and three hours before international flights, potentially leading to delays that could be significantly reduced if passengers followed all laid-down protocols.
According to Hasan’s calculations, each diversion caused by these items amounts to about three minutes. When multiplied by the thousands of minutes they collectively cause, it results in approximately 1,250 hours lost daily, equivalent to about 12 hours per airport. This substantial time could otherwise be used by security agencies to focus on examining more serious threats, thereby enhancing overall aviation safety.
Hasan highlighted the importance of passengers’ cooperation in building a culture of aviation security, particularly in India, which is experiencing rapid growth in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market and witnessing a surge in the number of first-time fliers. He warned that a single security incident could set the industry back by years, underscoring the critical nature of adhering to aviation security protocols and avoiding mistakes.
In conclusion, addressing the issue of improper carriage of items should become a collective effort among passengers, airlines, and security agencies to ensure seamless and efficient aviation safety measures. By being mindful of the items they carry and adhering to the prescribed guidelines, passengers can play a crucial role in maintaining the highest level of aviation security for all travellers.
