Air marshals have been deployed on selected flights in India for passenger safety following threat reports from intelligence agencies after Tuesday's terror attacks in Mumbai and Srinagar.
NEW DELHI: Air marshals have been deployed on selected flights in India for passenger safety following threat reports from intelligence agencies after Tuesday's terror attacks in Mumbai and Srinagar, officials said Thursday.
"We have deployed air marshals today. Some more security systems are already in place," Civil Aviation Secretary Ajay Prasad told reporters here, adding that intelligence reports warn of threats at some tourist destinations in India.
While Prasad refused to divulge the routes on which marshals have been deployed, sources said while most flights to Kashmir and certain sectors in the North-East will have these commandoes, others destinations will be picked at random.
The ministry had also decided to set up some new security procedures at airports and instructions issued to the concerned agencies, he said after a meeting here between officials of the ministries of civil aviation and home.
Officials of GMR, which has been mandated to modernise the Delhi airport, and Airports Authority of India also attended the meeting.
"There would be significant changes in security measures at airports. We have deployed dog and bomb disposal squads. Emphasis will be on using more equipment and technology rather than manual searching," Prasad said.
"The measures are being taken up because some reports have been received by the security agencies that some important airports and tourist destinations in the country are under threat," he said.
A second layer of checking passengers and baggage would also be done for certain international and domestic flights, Prasad said. Visitors have been denied access to the arrival and departure terminals till further orders.
"We have decided to carry out checks at aerobridges and step ladders before a passenger gets on the plane. Passengers would also have to go through personal body search before getting on the flight."
Prasad said there were, indeed, some flight delays due to the stringent security measures, since it took time to check all baggage and passengers manually. "But Thursday was the first day of the new procedures. Delays will be reduced soon."
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