Glitches delay launch of biometric access at airports

The government has decided to provide biometric entry passes for employees of airlines, airports, ground handling agencies and other individuals working inside the aerodromes.

However, the implementation of the biometric entry pass system has been delayed even as the Civil Aviation Ministry is working on an ambitious ‘Digiyatra’ initiative for seamless and paperless travel for the passengers.

Sources said the plan was to put in place biometric access control system across 43 airports from December 2016. Then it was extended to March this year and now the date of its implementation is yet to be finalised. 

An Airport Authority of India source said the delay is “due to technical issues” being faced by the National Informatics Centre – the implementing authority for the government’s IT-based initiatives. The proposal was to link an individual’s Aadhaar data with the biometric access control system, the source added. “We are expecting the biometric system will be ready in another 2-3 months,” said an official at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.