Kochi: Customs on Saturday alleged that "flight delays and difficulties" faced by international passengers of Air India flights last week at Cochin International Airport was due to the non-observance by Air India of Customs Rules and Procedures that gained importance in light of global terrorist activities.
In a statement, Customs said last week s delay of Muscat and Sharjah bound Air India flights from the International Airport at Nedumbassery near here was due to lapses on the part of AI, in not submitting Passenger and Cargo Manifest and crew personal property declarations to Customs.
These are mandatory documents required by Customs at every airport during the time of arrival and departure of international flights, the statement said.
Customs officers primarily rely on these documents to detect cases of smuggling of drugs, fake currency, contrabands and other wildlife related matters, which are of national security concern - especially at present when terrorist organisations are behind such activities, the statement said.
The senior officers of Customs had convened a meeting of all airlines at the Cochin airport recently to explain to them the sensitivity and requirement of such mandatory documents and procedures. The airlines authorities were requested to ensure that the documents reach Customs on time so as to avoid such incidents in future, the statement said.
The government notification of Aug 30, 2005 states that the Passenger Manifest has to be electronically filed three hours prior to the departure of the aircraft, it said.
All other airlines are following the instructions and AI alone was not willing to comply, the statement said.
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