In two days, Ayodhya airport handled 123 flights for event

LUCKNOW: The newly built Maharishi Valmiki International Ayodhya Airport handled 123 flights, including 101 chartered flights, over two days on the occasion of the pran pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple on Jan 22. The airport, which on average handles 380 passengers daily, welcomed 4,500 guests, including 350 VIPs, on Jan 21 nd 22.
Speaking to TOI, DIG Shrikant Kishore, the CPRO of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)said, “On Jan 21, our men handled passengers of 42 flights including 32 chartered and 10 scheduled movements on January 21, and on the day of consecration ceremony the CISF men provided hassle free and tight secure passengers movement including 350 VVIPs.On January 22, passengers for a total 12 scheduled flights, 69 chartered including 47 departures and 22 arrivals were assisted.”
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took over the security of the 68th airport in the country on January 9 and was regularly handling around 380 passengers of two flights per day.
According to officials, on January 21 and 22, the CISF handled passengers of around 123 flights including 101 chartered flights.
The CISF deputed 146 men under commandant Ajay Singh, the chief of Lucknow airport security, on this high-profile assignment.
The regular scheduled flights involved Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Max which are narrow body single aisle 180 plus seater aircrafts. While private and chartered flights have seating capacity upto 19.
“The day we took security charge of Ayodhya airport, it was very clear that we have to handle large passenger movements for the grand pran pratishtha ceremony and we trained our men accordingly,” Kishore said.
“In aviation security, there are various components.
Nowadays crowd control at the city side area is vital, and it can be vulnerable if not dealt with professionally. Then the access control inside the terminal. The check-in area inside the terminal is not completely sanitized as we do not check passengers before they enter the building,” said Kishore.
“Since lot of VIP movements are there at the airport, there are two different kinds of security arrangements at the check-in area. We provide personal security to VIPs, and at the same watch over the area. We conduct regular sweep exercises to avoid any kind of sabotage act around the check-in area and provide a secure zone for the passengers in the board or operational area,” he said.