Are You Travelling By Air? Check Out These New Baggage Rules For Domestic Passengers

If you travelling in the near future or heading to the airport for a work trip, there is important information that you shouldn¡¯t miss.

Passengers flying domestic flights will only be allowed to carry one bag inside the cabin of the aircraft, as the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has ordered airports and airlines to enforce the earlier Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) one-bag order.

Why the new order

The BCAS on January 21 has reduced the number of handbags per passenger to one in order to reduce congestion and security threat at airport. The CISF had asked the airport operators and airlines to implement the order after it found that passengers flying with more than one cabin baggage are choking the security check-in counters at airports across the country.

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As per the notification, the rule is for all the domestic flights in India.

As per BCAS AVSEC Circular, "No passenger should be permitted to carry more than one hand bag other than those items already listed in the circular including lady's bag. However, it has been seen that passenger on an average carries 02-03 Nos of hand bags to the screening point. This has led to increased clearance time as well as delays, congestion in PESC point and inconvenience to passengers. It is therefore felt that enforcement of the aforesaid Circulars must be ensured by all stakeholders / airlines."

Airline may be made responsible and depute staff to guide pax, check and verify their hand bag status etc, before allowing the passenger for Pre-embarkation security checks, it said.

Boarding passes, hoardings to promote message

The CISF, which guards all key airports across the country, has asked all airlines to inform passengers by putting this message on boarding passes/tickets.

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Airport operators have also been asked to inform passengers through hoardings.

¡°Airport Operators may be instructed to place hoarding/banner/board/ standees displaying the contents of the 'One hand bag Rule' near the check-in counters, vantage locations before SHA (security hold areas) at the airports, so that passengers get sensitized and if required, have an option to switch their extra hand bags to registered baggage,¡± the order read.

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