Washington: A top US aviation security official has called for a one-stop security screening arrangement with India to reduce duplication of efforts at both ends for passengers as part of a broader cooperation between the two countries in civil aviation.
"If we have a one-stop agreement with the government of India and with Delhi airport, we would not need to re-screen … passengers and their check bags would go from aircraft to aircraft in almost every situation," David Pekoske, head of the US Transportation Security Administration said at the India-US civil aviation summit.
"This is a really powerful concept. It offers a number of important benefits. It raises global aviation security standards that need to flex and debounce the United States are more secure if there's a reverse agreement between the United States and India where US screening satisfies Indian requirements."
US-bound passengers will be screened for security at the airport of embarkation in India, say Delhi, under this arrangement and when they land in the US and have a connecting domestic flight to another US destination, their checked-in baggage will transfer straight from their aircraft to the next.
Likewise in the opposite direction, for India-bound passengers.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a UN body that promotes civil aviation between member countries, said that "OSS agreements enable the avoidance of unnecessary duplication of security controls and increase the global sustainability of the aviation security system, and provide for a more straightforward transfer process for passengers and their belongings resulting in shorter connections, fewer missed connections and fewer missing bags at destination."
