BCAS Halts CTX Installation at Airports: Minister

New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Aviation security watchdog BCAS has put on hold the installation of Computed Tomography X-Ray (CTX) machines, which will allow passengers to keep electronic items in their hand baggage and not take them out during security checks at airports.

At present, passengers have to remove electronic items from their hand baggage and keep them in separate trays during the security check.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) envisages for installation of CTX at new and major airports so as not to divest electronic items from hand baggage during security check.

"Presently, BCAS has kept the installation of CTX on hold," he said.

To another question, the minister said that equipping airports with emerging technologies, including AI for airport security, is an ongoing process.

"To facilitate passenger seamless movement at airports, some of the major airports are equipped with upgraded systems and equipment like Digi Yatra face recognition-based access, Queue Management System, ATRS (Automotive Tray Retrieval System), Remote Screening and Dual-view XBIS," he added.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the latest deadline for installing Full Body Scanners (FBS) at the Delhi airport was June 2024.

He also said the timeline for installation of FBS changed due to evolving technical specifications and standard operating procedure, based on trials conducted at the airport by BCAS.