Archive · 1 Oct 2026
India Approves Full-Body Scanners For Eight Major Airports
India plans to install full-body scanners at eight airports.
These scanners help security workers find objects people may be carrying.
The airports are in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
Officials are changing the scanner software for local customs and religious items.
For example, the scanners may currently detect mangalsutras and religious threads.
A new system is being developed so these items can be recognized as allowed.
The airport security changes come after a reported knife attack involving an Indian pilot.
The incident involved an attempt to stop a copilot from trying to crash a flight.
Full-body scanners are approved for airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
The scanners’ algorithms are being modified to account for Indian sensitivities.
Current systems can detect items such as mangalsutras and religious threads.
A mechanism is being developed to identify those items as permissible.
The changes are part of measures being adopted by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security after a reported knife attack involving an Indian pilot.
- Who
- The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and officials overseeing eight Indian airports.
- What
- Approval has been given to install full-body scanners, with their algorithms being modified to recognize certain religious and cultural items as permissible.
- When
- The scanners are expected soon; the measures were reported a day after the described knife attack involving an Indian pilot.
- Where
- Airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
- Why
- To strengthen aviation security while accounting for Indian sensitivities involving items such as mangalsutras and religious threads.
- Airports affected
- Eight airports
- Locations
- Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Ahmedabad
- Security technology
- Full-body scanners
- Regulator
- Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
- Algorithm changes
- The scanners are being modified for Indian sensitivities
- Permissible items under development
- Mangalsutras and religious threads
- Related security incident
- A reported knife attack involving an Indian pilot and a copilot’s alleged attempt to crash a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv