india

Updated: Jun 20, 2019 07:23 IST

Security check at the Indira Gandhi International Airport is expected to be quicker as the airport operator and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which secures the airport, plan to install 10 Automatic Tray Retrieval Systems (ATRS) at the airport by the year end.

The system will allow the CISF to scan around double the passengers than it frisks at present, officials said.

The ATRS consists of rollers on which trays in which flyers are expected to put their belongings in for scanning, during security check, are installed. When passengers put their belongings in the tray, the rollers pass the tray through the scanner and bring the tray back to the starting point after the flyers collect their belongings.

At present, the CISF personnel who conduct the security checks manually collect the trays so they can be reused.

The ATRS will cut the manual intervention significantly, officers said.

Hemendra Singh, assistant inspector general (CISF) said that 10 ATRS will increase their efficiency by at least 60-70%. “At present, our men manage to clear around 180-200 passengers every hour through security check. With the ATRS in place, we will save time as well as manpower, and at least 350 passengers will be frisked every hour easily,” Singh said.

He added that the ATRS will also end passengers’ hassle of looking around for trays and waiting for others to finish using them. It will also prevent piling up of trays and will not require manual collection after each use, he said.

An official from the airport said since the new system would reduce the CISF’s manual intervention, the trays would have RFID tags and be under CCTV camera watch.

According to the Delhi International Airport Operator (DIAL), the consortium that operates the airport, passengers will be able to use the facility December 2019 onwards.

“The implementation of ATRS will be carried out in phases at terminals 2 and 3. Passengers will be able to use the facility December 2019 onwards,” said a DIAL spokesperson.

The airport operator said that at present, there is one ATRS operating at T2 and T3 each as part of the trial. The trial of the two ATRS had started in 2017.