Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, 8 July directed that an Automated X-ray Tray Return System (ATRS) be installed at all airports across India in a phased manner, primarily to reduce human resource costs. The directive came after Shah chaired a high-level review meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and senior officials to assess passenger facilities, security arrangements, and the immigration system at major airports.

Key Directives on Airport Infrastructure

Shah ordered that appropriate standards be established to mandate ATRS installation at all new airports from the outset. He also called for a comprehensive framework that accounts for the interdependence between entry lanes, check-in counters, security screening lanes, and immigration counters, ensuring that passenger flow is not disrupted at any touch-point.

Among the most significant timelines issued: all work across 62 airports — comprising 21 airports currently under development and 41 remaining airports — must be completed within the next two years. Prioritisation is to be based on passenger traffic, in line with security standards set by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

Passenger Convenience Measures

The Home Minister directed that the baggage drop facility, currently available at 16 major airports, be extended to other international airports with high passenger traffic. He also instructed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to lay down norms for the number of aerobridges at all airports, calibrated to passenger and air traffic volumes.

To ease international travel, Shah called for a mechanism — in coordination with airlines — to send a WhatsApp message to passengers at the time of booking an international ticket, prompting them to register for the Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Travellers' Programme (FTI-TTP). This is aimed at popularising the programme and reducing immigration queues.

Security and Screening Standards

Shah was explicit that there should be no dilution in the educational qualifications prescribed for Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed for X-ray screening. He directed that only officers and personnel with the requisite qualifications be assigned to screening duties — a signal that quality benchmarks will not be compromised in the push for automation.

He further directed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the CISF independently commission separate third-party studies during the peak travel season to assess and reduce passenger delays at all touch-points across major airports.

Immigration Infrastructure Expansion

On the immigration front, Shah directed that Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) offices be made operational at the headquarters of all states by 2027. He also called for the authorised immigration checkpoints at Agartala and Jewar airports to be made operational at the earliest.

The meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of Intelligence Bureau Mahesh Dixit, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Samir Kumar Sinha, Director General of CISF Praveer Ranjan, Chairman of Airports Authority of India Vipin Kumar, and several other senior officials from both ministries. With deadlines now set and inter-ministerial coordination mandated, the coming months will test whether India's airport modernisation push translates from directive to delivery.