Authorities Have Revealed The Most Confiscated Items At Indian Airports

Sep 17, 2023

More than 800,000 handbags are checked at airport security in India every day.

It’s not unusual for passengers to be asked by airport security to remove an item or two from their luggage. Mostly, these items are left behind in bags due to an innocent mistake or simple ignorance about the rules. Confiscated items can range anything from sharp objects to even bottles of water purchased outside the airport. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) of India has now revealed some of the most commonly confiscated items at Indian airports. Let’s take a look.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) of India has revealed that around 25,000 prohibitive items are confiscated from air passengers at Indian airports daily. The information was revealed on the occasion of the BCAS celebrating aviation security culture week, beginning July 31st.

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BCAS director general Zulfiquar Hasan informed that lighters are the most confiscated items from handbags, while power banks are the most prohibitive item found in check-in bags. Most of these items end up in passengers’ luggage due to a lack of awareness. Hasan commented,

“Everyday 8 lakh (800k) handbags and 5 lakh (500k) check-in bags are screened across Indian airports, and 25,000 prohibited items are discovered. These include lighters which constitute 26% of prohibited items discovered in handbags, followed by scissors (22%), knives (16%), liquids (14%). In check-in bags, the most commonly identified prohibited items are power banks (44%), followed by lighters (19%), used batteries (18%) and laptops (11%).”

Of course, every added security check contributes to the total amount spent in carrying out inspections, amounting to a total loss of 75,000 minutes or 1,250 hours per day.

Security checks at some Indian airports could get faster in the coming months. The Times of India reports that major Indian metro airports could soon have Computed Tomography technology (CTiX machines), eliminating the need for passengers to remove electronic items and liquids from their cabin bags for separate X-ray screening.

BCAS regional director Abimanyu Singh said that CTiX Machines could be installed at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai airports by December. He added it would take some time for airports to get enough machines and have security personnel trained.

With ever-increasing air traffic in India, faster security measures are constantly being requested. Apart from upgrading the security systems, BCAS feels that a larger awareness among passengers about prohibitive items would also go a long way to reduce congestion time at airport security queues.

Many airports are already making efforts for a better airport experience as far as security checks are concerned. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) has boosted the capacity of its security screening space. It recently unveiled the expansion of its Pre-Embarkation Security Check (PESC) facility at Terminal 2.

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BOM also became the first airport in India to offer such a facility, which features all the necessary screening infrastructure and pre-embarkation security checks conducted by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Have you ever been stopped at airport security for accidentally carrying a confiscated item in your luggage? Do share in the comment section below.

Source: The Times of India

With a background in publishing and digital media, Gaurav likes to combine his love for aviation with his fondness for storytelling. He's a keen observer of ever-changing aviation trends around the world and particularly in India. Gaurav also keeps a close eye on the fleet development of all major carriers and their subsequent impact on regional and international routes. Based in New Delhi, India.