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The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has finally given its nod to the operators of the much delayed Airport Express Metro Link for providing the direct check-in facility to its passengers headed for Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. There is,however,a rider: the checked-in luggage will be treated as unchecked once it reaches the airport and explosive detection tests will be performed again.
According to the plan,the New Delhi and Shivaji Stadium Metro stations on the Airport Metro will have direct baggage check-in facilities. Here,the passengers will be provided their boarding pass and their luggage will be sealed in a separate compartment.
The Civil Aviation Ministry gave its approval on Monday at a multi-stakeholder meeting,which was attended by representatives from the DMRC,Reliance Infrastructure,Airlines Operators Committee,BACS and airport operator DIAL,a senior Ministry official said.
Earlier,the BCAS had expressed concern over the possibility of contamination of baggage after check-in at a Metro station. The additional security process is aimed at removing any such threat to the airport. The BCAS has asked the stakeholders to ensure the luggage undergoes the explosives detection test before entering into the DIAL network.
Once the baggage reaches the airport,it would be checked for explosives before being taken inside the terminal on conveyor belts through a tunnel. The bar codes on the passengers boarding pass and on the baggage would be checked to ensure safety, a senior official said.
Now,if the baggage is tampered with on its way to the airport,it would not be allowed inside, sources said.
The procedure is also likely to put at rest concerns regarding a passenger tampering with the baggage or alighting the Metro after checking in,a BCAS source said.
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