Air travellers who lose security tags on their luggage or whose cabin baggage is inadvertently not stamped will no longer have to trudge to the security check from boarding gates under revamped scrutiny procedures at Indian airports.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which handles security at all major airports, has now made provisions for the baggage of such passengers to be checked at the boarding gate itself as is the practice in many countries.

The provision has been made following various airports suggesting that checking just ahead of boarding is a preferable procedure in terms of passenger convenience and did not compromise on security imperatives. Passengers who had to go back to security check areas face a serious disadvantage as the distance between boarding gates and security counters is considerable and takes a long time to cover, raising the risk of missed flights.