The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has initiated a series of reforms to make aviation security processes simpler and quicker for people working at Indian airports.

Briefing the media on the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) reforms to improve operational efficiency and ease of doing business in New Delhi, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said that these sweeping changes aim to digitise workflows, make processes simpler, and transition towards accountability-driven governance while maintaining the highest security standards.

The Ministry informed that BCAS has streamlined the security clearance framework by moving towards a category- and contract-agnostic security clearance applicable across the nine identified categories of aviation entities.

It is proposed to remain valid for five years as part of these reforms. BCAS has also introduced a more structured and time-bound approach to security vetting of airport infrastructure.

It emphasises obtaining and communicating all necessary clarifications at one stage, prescribed timelines at different stages, and closer monitoring of pending cases.

To transform the Aerodrome Entry Permit system, BCAS has initiated an end-to-end digital workflow to streamline the entire process.

The system provides for online registration and application, document submission, digital scrutiny and verification, defined approval workflows and digital issuance, with facial biometric verification. The system is being implemented as a common platform across all 169 airports.

The Ministry highlighted that these reforms are essential, as India has become the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market, while the number of operational airports has grown from 74 in 2014 to 165 in July 2026.

It added that these reforms are part of the broader vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 and the effort to build a future-ready aviation security regulatory framework that can keep pace with a rapidly expanding aviation sector.