NEW DELHI: Domestic air passengers will henceforth not be allowed to carry more than one hand bag per passenger.
The rule has been imposed to curb congestions at the airports by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that manages the security at all the key airports.
In a communication to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), it said the flyers with more than one cabin handbag are choking the security check-in counters, causing delays, congestion and inconvenience to the passengers.
The BCAS rules permit a passengers to carry one laptop, one ladies’ handbag, one blanket, an umbrella, gift items bought from the duty-free shop and a reasonable amount of reading material on board of the aircraft.
The CISF communication says many passengers on average carry two to three handbags to the screening point and that delays the clearance. Its letter says all airlines and airports may be instructed to follow “One hand bag rule” meticulously. It put responsibility on the airlines to check the hand bag status before allowing a passenger for pre-embarkation security check. It also asked the airlines to display “one hand bag rule” on their tickets and boarding passes very conspicuously.”