Only One Hand Bag: Govt Asks Airlines To Enforce Rule 'Meticulously' To Ease Airport Congestion

The new 'one hand bag' rule is for all the domestic passengers in India, as per the notification to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

Passengers carrying more than one cabin luggage on flights within India (Representative image)

New Delhi: In a letter, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Friday asked the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to implement the 'One Hand Bag rule' meticulously on the ground to ease out congestion and other security concerns at airports.

According to the notification to BCAS, the rule is for all domestic flights in India.

"No passenger should be permitted to carry more than one handbag other than those items already listed in the circular including a lady's bag. However, it has been seen that a passenger on an average carries 2-3 numbers of handbags to the screening point," it said. 

All airlines and airport operators may be instructed to take steps to implement the 'One Hand Bag rule' meticulously on the ground to ease out the congestion and other security concerns: CISF IG (airport sector) Vijay Prakash in a letter to DG, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security pic.twitter.com/bNPujr8itV

— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2022

The civil aviation body also instructed the airlines to display it on hoardings as well as passenger tickets and boarding passes for clarity.

"All airlines may be directed suitably to inform passengers and to display 'one handbag rule' on their tickets/boarding passes very conspicuously,” it added.

“Airline may be made responsible and depute staff to guide pax, check and verify their handbag status, etc, before allowing the passenger for Pre-embarkation security checks," the BCAS said.

The new order comes to ensure the smoothening of the process of security checks at the airports.