Government Calls on Airports To Bear CISF Deployment Costs In Cargo And MRO Facilities

The central government wants airports to chip in for their security costs.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has told airport operators to cover the expenses of deploying the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in cargo facilities, general aviation terminals (used by charters) and maintenance repair overhaul units.

This decision, made in a meeting led by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in February, was communicated to airports by March end. The arrangement shall be reviewed after six months, the ministry said in its communication to airports.

At present CISF provides security cover to 68 airports across the country. Until 2019, each airport handled CISF costs separately. Then, a National Aviation Security Fee Trust was set up to centralise billing and payment.

Passengers pay the aviation security fee (ASF), which funds CISF deployment - domestic and international passengers are charged Rs 200 and a rupee equivalent of $12 (GST extra).

The ministry's decision impacts 35 privately managed and Airport Authority of India-run airports. Presently, there are more than 1200 CISF personnel stationed across cargo, MRO, and general aviation facilities at these airports.

The ministry estimates an annual expenditure of approximately Rs 135 crore for CISF operations in these areas. Despite this change, there won't be any reduction in the aviation security fee collected from passengers.

“Cargo and MRO facilities are not used by passengers and so it is felt that CISF-related expenses in these areas can be borne by airports. These in turn can be recovered by airports from entities using the services,” a civil aviation ministry official said Businessline.

Interestingly, the public accounts committee of the Lok Sabha recommended in 2021 that the burden of aviation security shouldn't solely fall on passengers. Instead, it suggested that airports, airlines, and vendors should equally share these costs.