Private security guards may be given responsibility for airport security in the following days. The government has authorized airport operators to hire private security personnel. This comprises both private and public-sector airport operators
This is the first time that private security has been permitted in airports since 2002, when the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) assumed responsibility for airport security following the Kandahar Hijacking episode.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the nodal company responsible for aviation security, has given airports permission to outsource the job of manning security in five non-core areas, including segregating passengers at airport gates, queue administration at boarding counter entrances, baggage management, cargo space, and security of the tourists’ gallery.
Airport operators may hire private security guards for airport security, according to an order issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the country’s nodal agency for airport security.
It is now permitted in five non-core or non-strategic sectors. These include segregating people at the airport entrance, managing queues in front of the boarding counter, luggage control, cargo area security, and visitor gallery security.
The central government believes that airports are becoming increasingly crowded, and that the CISF has sufficient resources to handle them.
With footfalls increasing at major metro airports and several new airports joining India’s aviation community as a result of the Centre’s regional connectivity initiative, the employment of private security guards will alleviate the pressure on CISF.
As private security personnel acquire exposure, the industry, which is experiencing an exponential surge in traffic, will benefit in the long term, according to Prasad.