ZCZC
BCN-16
INDIA-ECONOMY-AVIATION
No smile please: Indian airport police to go grumpy
NEW DELHI, Oct 9, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Armed police at Indian airports have been
told to cut down on smiling, with officials blaming the 2001 US terror
attacks partly on an excessive focus on friendliness, local media reported
Tuesday.
The Central Industrial Security Force, in charge of aviation safety, will
move from a “broad smile system” to a “sufficient smile system”, the Indian
Express said in a front-page report.
The English language newspaper said the move was aimed at making the CISF
“more vigilant than friendly”.
“We cannot be over-friendly with the passengers because one of the reasons
cited as to why 9/11 happened… was excessive reliance on passenger friendly
features,” CISF director general Rajesh Ranjan was quoted as saying.
Ranjan also said CISF personnel would be trained in behavioural analysis by
international consultants.
India has witnessed a six-fold increase in passenger numbers over the past
decade as citizens take advantage of better connectivity and cheaper fares in
the highly competitive sector.
But airports are struggling to cope with the surge and analysts have warned
that the government needs to spend billions of dollars to boost capacity and
safety.
Earlier this month the government said some domestic flyers would be soon
able to leave their boarding passes at home, thanks to proposed facial
recognition technology at airports.
BSS/AFP/SR/1740 HRS