RGIA has handled 15.24 million passengers in FY2016-17, registering a growth of approximately 22 per cent in p... Read More

HYDERABAD: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), today said it has become the first airport in the country to provide a pre-embarkation security check right at the terminal's entry gate.

This will serve as ' Express Security Check ' facility for domestic passengers travelling without any check-in baggage .

OP Singh, DG, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) inaugurated this facility today in presence of SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL and other dignitaries from CISF and GHIAL, the airport operator said in a release.

The domestic passengers, after printing their boarding pass from the newly installed 'self-service kiosks' located conveniently at the departures forecourt area outside the terminal building, can now enter the Express Security Check lane without getting into the check-in area and head straight towards the boarding area, it said.

Currently, Hyderabad Airport handles more than 18,000 domestic departure passengers on daily basis, of which close to 40 per cent travel without any checked-in baggage, and carry at most only hand baggage, as per the release.

The new process will also benefit the airlines by reducing the queues at the check-in counters and improving their on-time performance (OTP). Further, the facility will also help in reducing the anxiety levels of passengers travelling through a busy airport.

OP Singh said the CISF reinvents and upgrades itself continuously and is committed to provide security of a very high order and simultaneously are very focused on passenger comfort.

"This new feature is in sync with this commitment and we hope that every passenger flies happy, flies safe," Singh said.

SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said, as part of their 'Passenger is Prime' programme, the facility envisions substantial reduction in the load at check-in counters and the regular security check areas during peak hours.

"This new concept of Express security check, if adopted, will benefit other airports in the country as well. Hyderabad Airport has had the privilege to be the First Airport in India to roll out end-to-end e-boarding process and pioneer doing away with stamping of baggage tags and boarding cards," Kishore said.

RGIA has handled 15.24 million passengers in FY2016-17, registering a growth of approximately 22 per cent in passenger traffic and 23 per cent growth in air traffic movement over FY2015-16.

As many as 16 foreign and 3 Indian carriers connect the city with 18 international destinations while 10 domestic carriers connect Hyderabad with 33 domestic destinations.