The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has ordered an unstated quantity of THREATSCAN Desktop Explosives Trace Detectors (ETD) to cater for passenger carry-on baggage screening at 93 airports, the company announced on 29 September.
MS Tech has already supplied “a large number” of ETDs under previous contracts, servicing major airports such as Chennai, Goa and Kolkata. AAI manages 125 airports in India, which boasts a total of 149 operational airports – 88 of which have been added in just the last 11 years and another 50 are expected to be operational by 2030. With passenger numbers at 380 million in 2023-24, India is one of the fastest-growing civil aviation markets in the world.
“The Indian market is forecast to be the third-largest aviation market in the world by 2027, so security is a mission-critical factor in enabling India’s airports to be future-ready. MS Tech is […] supporting Indian airports to stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape with a technological solution that is fully compliant with regulatory requirements,” commented MS Tech CEO, Doron Shalom.
DA Comment
Passenger screening against potential explosive threats is one of the most pervasive security measures in modern society – and one that is constantly underrated when it comes to competing for budgetary resources: until, of course, an incident occurs that focuses attention post event. In a market growing as fast as India, the emergence of a competent and committed partner such as MS Tech – which will apparently manufacture in India since the award was made after a competitive Make-in-India evaluation process – is to be lauded.
The company’s products span the gamut of detection technologies and include liquid explosives detectors using the patented HF Quartz Crystal Microbalance (HF-QCM) nanotechnology sensors developed and manufactured in-house. Potential applications cover not only aviation and transport hub security but also military, border control, goods-in-transit, cargo-screening and critical infrastructure security missions.
