Several agencies have launched independent inquiries into a serious security lapse at the Kochi international airport on Tuesday evening when several passengers who arrived by a foreign flight got an opportunity to get away without customs or immigration check.

The incident happened after the Jet Airways flight from Kuwait with 80 passengers landed at the airport at 8 pm.
As usual, the passengers were taken by a runway coach by Air India which handles the airport’s ground control. However, the driver of one of the coaches ‘mistakenly’ left around 20 of them at the domestic terminal instead of the international terminal. 

Sources said this enabled several passengers to leave without the customary emigration check. It was when some perplexed passengers who did not receive their baggage alerted the emigration officials that they realised the gaffe.

Just one

Fortunately, they managed to get back most of the passengers except at least one who had only a handbag with him.

The passenger, Mr Eliot D’Sooza, walked away without any hassles and checked into a hotel. By then, the officials got into act, traced him to the hotel and got him back for emigration check. 

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) officials have viewed the security lapse with grave concern and have launched an inquiry. Managing director Sreeram Bharath called an urgent meeting of all agencies at the airport on Wednesday. Air India executive officer A A Khare is leading a three-member team inquiring into the incident. The customs and immigration officials are also pursuing the incident.