Cabin baggage tags will soon become a thing of the past

You may no longer have to put tags on your cabin bags and get them stamped at the security check point as the government is planning to do away with the process, in-line with the international practice followed at airports abroad.

In this regard, the Civil Aviation Ministry has asked the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to form a panel to review cabin baggage tags and submit a report in four weeks.

"The good thing about the aviation secretary is that he works with timelines. He has given BCAS four weeks to decide on the abolition of cabin baggage tags across India," a senior executive of an airline told ET, adding “This issue is being discussed for long and despite a consensus on its abolition, we have not been able to abolish it."

Presently, all passengers carrying cabin baggage have to tie a tag to it and get it stamped at security check before boarding a flight.

But, few experts suggest there is no way a bag can enter the secure zone without being checked.

"Aviation security is 99% preventive that happens on the ground and 1% intervention, which happens in the air. This rule was brought in to ensure that only secured cleared items enter the airside and this surely lets one feel secure. I would not be in favour of its abolition. But if it goes, it should be replaced with a system that looks at the principle of prevention on the ground," Shakti Lumba, former head of operations at IndiGo and Air India, told ET.

Meanwhile, the aviation ministry has asked the Air Traffic Control to improve air traffic management at airports, especially at Delhi and Mumbai.