Delhi immigration skip triggers revamp of linked‑airport transfer rules

Three passengers of Indian origin travelling to Munich slipped past exit immigration at Delhi’s international terminal, prompting the civil aviation ministry to rewrite the transfer procedures for its linked‑airport network. The breach occurred on September 4 when the travelers arrived from Amritsar and were mistakenly routed without the required clearance. The ministry, led by Ram Mohan Naidu, said the incident exposed gaps in the system that was introduced in July from Varanasi to let passengers from smaller cities reach overseas destinations through larger hubs without repeated baggage checks. The scheme was later expanded to include Amritsar and Ahmedabad. In response, officials have overhauled how boarding passes are printed, tightened the role of the Digi Yatra digital‑travel system, and revised passenger flow inside connecting airports. Air India staff who escorted the transfer passengers were suspended after an internal inquiry; they belong to AISTATS, a joint venture between Air India Ltd of the Tata Group and Singapore‑based SATS Ltd. Additional verification steps are now being added at transfer points to confirm a traveller’s onward journey and to prevent any further bypass of immigration. The flight from Amritsar that day was delayed, creating a rush of transfer passengers, including the three Italians, two of whom used wheelchairs, which contributed to the confusion. As an interim measure, airline crews are instructed to check the ‘I’ (international) and ‘D’ (domestic) markers on boarding passes to ensure correct routing, while a permanent solution is being finalized by the relevant agencies.