India tightens rules for international transfer passengers after Delhi airport breach

New protocols have been introduced to prevent a repeat of the immigration oversight that allowed three passengers to board connecting flights to Italy without clearing immigration formalities at Delhi airport. The incident, which came to light in September, exposed gaps in procedures governing interline and codeshare flight operations at India's busiest airport.

The amended guidelines distinguish between interline bookings—where passengers hold separate tickets issued by different airlines—and codeshare flights, where multiple carriers share the same flight under different flight numbers. This distinction is critical for determining at which point passengers must complete immigration and security checks.

Under the revised framework, passengers on interline flights are now required to formally clear immigration at their transit point, even if their baggage is checked through to their final destination. Codeshare passengers, conversely, may follow streamlined procedures where applicable, provided they remain within the airline alliance system.

The civil aviation authority has directed all airports and airlines to implement the updated guidelines to ensure consistent application across international terminals. Immigration officials have been instructed to verify booking types during the check-in process to prevent similar lapses.

The September incident had raised concerns about security vulnerabilities at major Indian airports and prompted a review of existing protocols. Airport officials said the new procedures would strengthen coordination between check-in counters, immigration desks, and boarding gates.