Bengaluru: Men and women passengers flying out of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will not have to wait in two different queues during security screening. Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) on Monday (October 8) said that it had signed an agreement with the UK-based technology developer, L3 Macdonald Humfrey, to begin the work on setting up the new security system 'Smart Security Lane' by this December, which will screen men and women together.

The Smart Security Lane will be installed along with a 'View Matrix' security system, which will allow all security screening officers to monitor remotely within a secure central control room.

The trial run, which was conducted early last year, is claimed to have shown positive results before signing the project with the airport security and automation firm. 

"With the new proposed system, we can now process more passengers in a secure and controlled environment, improving overall operational efficiency and enhancing safety and security. Also, passengers will benefit from a quicker passage through security checkpoints," said the chief operating officer Javed Malik, BIAL. 

BIAL is the joint venture company that operates Bengaluru's Kempegowda international airport. 

Canadian firm Fairfax holds 54% stake in the joint venture, Siemens Projects Ventures 20%, while the central and state government hold 13% each through Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC). 

The airport is also said to be entirely Aadhaar-enabled by December this year, which is an initiative to transform it into a smart airport. BIAL wants the passengers to use Aadhaar identification for entry and e-boarding purposes. This process will help officials to verify passengers within 5 seconds at every checkpoint from the entrance to the boarding gate.

By October 2018, passengers boarding even international flights will be able to use this new system. December 31, 2018 is expected to be the project completion date.