The Indian aviation safety regulator is collecting data from ongoing trials of full-body scanners at Bengaluru and Kochi airports before deciding on wider implementation of the technology. Furthermore, the technology's algorithms are being refined to account for items commonly carried by passengers in India.
Rajesh Nirwan, Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), told reporters on Thursday that full-body scanners have been commissioned in eight airports, with trials currently underway in Bengaluru and Kochi. Authorities are gathering data from these trials, including the number of generated alerts, which will be analyzed before a decision is made on deploying the scanners in airports.
Kochi is not among the eight airports where scanners are already mandatory. The introduction of full-body scanners has been delayed for years, partly due to concerns regarding passenger privacy.
Nirwan noted that the new scanners are 'image agnostic,' meaning they do not create an actual image of the passenger but instead display a model and indicate a specific body area where a suspicious item might have been detected, according to PTI.
BCAS is also collaborating with scanner manufacturers and original equipment providers to adapt the technology to Indian conditions, including the issue of false alarms caused by jewelry and other items frequently worn by people.
Nirwan emphasized: 'What we are getting in India today is based on algorithms developed for foreign markets. There are certain typical things found on the bodies of Indian citizens or residents of India. Therefore, these algorithms are also constantly being improved.'
He added that the data collected during the current trials will be used for further algorithm refinement.
Meanwhile, officials also discussed the recent incident aboard the Flydubai cockpit, which resulted in injuries to Indian pilot Smith Machhar. It was reported that Indian aviation authorities are studying the incident and will hold internal discussions regarding the necessity of issuing any advisory recommendations.
Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha stated that the matter is under review, and any decision to issue recommendations will be made after internal discussions. He added: '...if it is necessary to issue any recommendations, obviously, we will present this to the higher authorities for a decision on this matter.'
These comments came a day after Flydubai flight FZ1073, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with 174 passengers, was diverted to Saudi Arabia following the cockpit conflict. Indian Captain Smith Machhar sustained serious injuries while attempting to manage his co-pilot, after which the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk.