India has started full-body scanner trials to modernise airport security, testing the technology at Delhi, India full-body scanners are now on trial at four major airports as the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security pushes to modernise passenger screening. The three-month trial began in May and covers Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.
The Central Industrial Security Force is running the evaluation. It is testing how well the India full-body scanners detect concealed threats, while also measuring passenger throughput and comfort. BCAS issued the formal Standard Operating Procedure for the scanners on 2 April, setting out how airports should deploy and operate them.
Cutting Down on Manual Frisking
Full-body scanners use millimetre-wave imaging to detect both metallic and non-metallic items. Unlike older scanners, they don’t rely on X-rays, so they pose no radiation risk to passengers. Each scan takes just a few seconds, and the machines display a generic outline rather than a detailed body image, protecting passenger privacy.
Ajay Dahiya, chief public relations officer at CISF, said the scanners significantly improve threat detection compared with conventional screening. He noted that the technology can identify prohibited items that walk-through metal detectors often miss. When a scanner flags a concern, security staff conduct targeted secondary checks rather than frisking every passenger.
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Rollout Plans Extend Beyond the Trial
BCAS has already directed airports in Srinagar, Jammu and Ayodhya to prepare to install the same scanners ahead of a wider national rollout. The trial is assessing detection accuracy, operational reliability, and how smoothly the technology integrates with existing airport infrastructure.
Authorities say the trial results will shape future policy on nationwide deployment, as well as any changes needed to the standard operating procedure. BCAS has also signed an agreement with Rashtriya Raksha University to set up a dedicated testing and certification centre for full-body scanners and related aviation security equipment, supporting a longer-term evaluation framework for next-generation screening systems.
A Broader Shift in Airport Security
The trial builds on smaller pilots run at Bengaluru, Goa, Cochin and Chennai over the past year, according to CISF officials. India’s aviation security agencies describe the shift as entering a new era of passenger screening, one that leans more on technology and less on manual checks, as passenger traffic across the country’s airports continues to grow.
