Security beefed up at Kochi airport: What should flyers know before leaving home?

Kochi: Long queues are spotted in front of various counters at the Cochin International Airport after security measures were tightened at the airports ahead of Independence Day, reports Manorama Online. Passengers say that they have to stand in long queues even though the airport at Cochin has DiGi Yatra facilities. The airport authorities have urged passengers about the heightened security measures in the airports until August 20 as per the advisory of the Bureau of Civil Aviation. Besides, the airline companies too have been instructing the passengers to arrive at least three hours ahead of the scheduled flight.

Security has been tightened not just in Cochin but in all the airports in the country. The airport authorities have been urging domestic passengers to arrive at least three hours early, instead of the regular one and a half hours. Meanwhile, the number of frisking counters has been increased to manage the crowds and avoid long queues. Earlier, the security checks ended with the passengers checking – in. Now, a Secondary Ladder Point Checking (SLPC), right before boarding the aeroplane too has been introduced. The airport authorities note that the passengers have no other way than to reach early as this is also a generally busy time for air travel.

However, the passengers complain that there is only one counter for the DiGi Yatra facility that has been launched to reduce the crowds at airports. Many passengers rely on the regular check-in counters when large queues form in front of this counter too. Meanwhile, some passengers in the Mumbai airport reportedly couldn’t board aircraft due to the heightened security measures. Most airline companies including Air India have been urging the passengers to reach the airport at least three hours before the boarding time.