Bangalore International Airport Limited, which manages the Kempegowda International Airport in the city, said that they are witnessing an increase in the collection of prohibited goods from passengers amid the pandemic. These prohibited items include hand tools, blades, lighters, coconuts, toy guns, ghee packets and spices, which an increased number of passengers have been carrying over the last few months. In a statement given on Friday, they said, “The security team at BLR Airport receives an average of over 500 kgs of prohibited articles each week. These items are confiscated by the CISF at the security screening area. Passengers are unaware of the prohibited objects which potentially impacts the security frisking process, resulting in delays due to the manual examination of such baggage.”
This increased confiscation comes at a time when the airport has been seeing its lowest footfall in recent times, owing to the pandemic. International air travel remains restricted to only union government-regulated ‘air bubble’ countries; however, domestic passengership is slowly recovering since the COVID-19-induced lockdown. As reported earlier this week, between April and October, the footfall in the airport had reduced to 35,47,644 from 1,93,06,980 in April-October 2019, due to the pandemic. Domestic operations had resumed on May 25 post the lockdown.
However, the airport has seen gains on the cargo front. Incidentally, the international airport at Bengaluru witnessed its highest-ever domestic outbound tonnage of 8,117 tonnes in October, largely driven by e-commerce shipments.
For the benefit of flyers, they listed some commonly prohibited items. These include:
- Lighters
- Scissors
- Toy weapons
- Sharp metal objects
- Sporting Goods
- Guns and firearms
- Tools
- Self Defense equipment
- Explosive materials
- Flammable items
- Chemicals
- Aerosols and liquids
- Any other items which are deemed security hazards by local law
For the full list, passengers can go to their official website.