Tiruchi Airport gets full-fledged security directorate

A full-fledged Security Directorate has been created by the Airports Authority of India at the Tiruchi International Airport for effective implementation of instructions from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). A Chief Security Officer (CSO) has been posted to head the directorate.

The CSO will coordinate with the BCAS, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), various airlines and other agencies on security matters, airport sources told The Hindu. Hitherto, the security functions at the airport were looked after by the office of the Deputy General Manager-Air Traffic Management.

One among the key functions of the CSO was the preparation of security programme for the airport as per the International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines, the sources said.

In addition to this, the CSO would issue temporary airport entry passes, inspect periodically the operational areas at the airport and coordinate the aerodrome committee meetings regularly.

He would also ascertain the status of security equipment and infrastructure at the airport. The number of passengers at the airport crossed the one million mark for the first time in the 2013-14 fiscal.