Since domestic flight operations began on May 25, the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has adopted a contactless boarding process to curb the spread of coronavirus. Airport management also announced that the Aarogya Setu app will be mandatory for all flyers and that they won’t be allowed to step into the terminal if they aren’t cleared on the app.
Once a flyer steps into the airport entrance, the passenger will be required to get a boarding pass printed from the kiosks installed just outside the departure gates of the terminal.
Boarding pass and thermal screening
Passengers will no longer need to use the touchscreen kiosks to print boarding passes. Instead, they can use their phone QR code scanners or Google Lens to print the boarding pass from the kiosks. Once they have got their boarding pass, passengers will be subjected to their first thermal screening by the airport staff. Passengers having more than 37.8 degrees Celsius temperature won’t be allowed to proceed further.
Departure gate screening
Unlike the pre-pandemic days, there will be no physical contact with the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) staff. The officials will be wearing personal protective gear and will be behind a glass shield.
CISF personnel will verify the boarding pass and government-issued photo ID through a magnified glass screen, without touching the documents. The passenger will be asked to momentarily lift the mask for photo verification.
Check-in luggage
Once flyers enter the terminal, they will have to follow the safe distance markers placed on the floor.
Customers with select airlines will have the option of putting their luggage at a self-service kiosk where they can affix the tag on the bag before proceeding to the airline counter to drop it off. This baggage tag can be printed from a kiosk, which will issue the required identification tag once the boarding pass is scanned on the kiosk.
Those flying on airlines which do not have this facility will have to use the standard counters, which will now have glass panels separating the staff member and the passenger.
Security check process
Once flyers reach the pre-embarkation security checkpoint, passengers will need to scan the boarding pass once again at a kiosk manned by a CISF personnel to verify the passenger’s identity. This process is being followed to remove the previous format of stamping boarding passes as directed by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
After this, hand luggage needs to be kept in a tray as per the pre-existing norm before going through the body scanner. BIAL (Bangalore International Airport Limited) said the trays will be sanitised after every use.
Hand sanitisers will be available both before and after security check.
Boarding
After the security check, flyers will reach the boarding gate where airline staff will hand over a kit containing a face mask, face shield, and a sanitiser to the passenger, who must put on the new mask and sanitise their hands before boarding. The passenger will scan the boarding pass on the sensor. Airline staff will do a second temperature screening and then permit boarding.