Air India to make crew undergo customs checks

Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) has flagged concerns about Air India crew not going through Customs at airports in the country following the arrests of the national carrier’s personnel on charges of smuggling.

The AIU of the Customs Department wrote to Air India following increasing incidents of gold smuggling by the crew.

It has cited an instance of two crew members of Air India caught smuggling 3 kg gold worth over Rs 78.1 lakh on a flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. The flight took off from Mumbai after finishing its international leg of operations.

The Unit said that Air India should instruct its crew members to undergo customs checks. The letter warned that any deviation would be dealt sternly.

The Customs said that avoiding checks posed a “significant” security risk.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had also earlier warned about “smuggling” by Air India crew members. The DRI had then asked the national carrier management to sanitise its staff, including those involved in ground-handling duties.

It had also sought an enquiry report regarding those staffers held for illegally bringing gold into the country.