India’s aviation security regulator has announced plans to digitise entry permits for airport workers and simplify clearances for aviation businesses. At an October 1 briefing, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security chief Rajesh Nirwan said the permit process would move online with facial biometric verification, according to The New Indian Express.
Officials said roughly 15 lakh permits are handled annually. The proposed system would cover registration, document submission, scrutiny, approval and issuance on a common platform for 169 airports. The ministry’s account, carried by Akashvani on October 2, describes the workflow as being implemented; it should not be read as confirmation that every airport has completed the change.
The reforms also envisage one security clearance usable across nine categories of aviation entities and different contracts, with a proposed five-year validity. Security vetting of airport infrastructure would have defined processing timelines, consolidated requests for clarification and closer monitoring of pending cases.
Nirwan said digitisation would allow applicants to check their status and help officials identify delays. The measures concern personnel access and regulatory approvals. They do not mean that passengers can bypass airport screening or that security checks for restricted airport areas have been removed.