Delhi airport to have full body scanners by May 2024, says BCAS chief

Full body scanners are expected to be installed at the Delhi airport by May 2024, a senior official said on Friday.

Besides, Computed Tomography X-ray (CTX) machines whereby passengers will not be required to remove electronic items from their hand baggage during the security check are also anticipated to be installed by May next year.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Director General Zulfiquar Hasan on Friday said the deadline for installing the full body scanners and CTX machines at certain airports is being extended.

The deadline for installing the full body scanners at airports with more than 10 million annual passenger traffic is December 31. The last date for installation of CTX machines at airports with more than 5 million passengers is also the same.

At a briefing in the national capital, Hasan said there have been some provisioning issues and BCAS is in discussions with airport operators on the installation of the scanners.

"We expect the full body scanners and X-ray machines to come in May...," he said and added that both are expected to be installed at the Delhi airport by May next year.

The Delhi airport is the country's largest airport and passenger traffic is expected to cross 70 million in the current fiscal ending March 2024.

Once CTX (Computer Tomography X-ray) scanners are in place, passengers will not have to remove their electronic gadgets from baggage during security checks at airports.

BCAS will be deploying the full body scanners in a phased manner

Last year, BCAS recommended installation of scanners based on computer tomography technology at airports whereby passengers will not be required to take out electronic devices from their hand baggage before going through the scanner.

At present, passengers have to remove and keep electronic items in a separate tray during security check at airports.

The scanners used at airports provide a two-dimensional view of the objects inside hand baggage. Installation of such scanners is also expected to help in speeding up the security check-in process at airports.

India is one of the fastest-growing civil aviation markets in the world.

Domestic airlines carried more than 13.82 crore passengers during the January- November 2023 period, as per the latest official data.