Forgetful Indian raises air fears

Security is tight at Indian airports

A passenger cleared airport security in the Indian capital, Delhi, and flew out on a private airline - all on the wrong ticket, it has emerged.

Mr A Srinivas should have been on Air Sahara's 18 February flight to Kochi in southern India but flew a week earlier by mistake, with no questions asked.

Airport security officials said anybody with a valid ticket is allowed inside the terminal building.

Air Sahara did not respond to BBC's queries on the incident.

'Casual'

Mr Srinivas told the BBC it all began with his getting the date wrong.

"I had fixed a meeting in Kochi on 18 February. My tickets were booked accordingly. But somehow I thought I was leaving a week earlier on 11 February."

No one at Delhi airport picked up his error.

"The security at the airport entrance looked at my e-ticket and waved me in. Another security man looked at it too," Mr Srinivas says.

It is all about overworked airline officials and casual airport security men A Srinivas, passenger

At the "crowded" Sahara Airlines counter, Mr Srinivas presented his ticket for flight number S2 147.

"The airline official started drumming on her keyboard. There seemed to be some problem. She resumed typing again," he recounted.

"She looked up and asked me if I had baggage to check in. When I said no, she asked my seat preference, and I asked for an aisle seat."

Mr Srinivas said that without any other questions asked, the airline gave him a boarding pass to fly to Kochi.

Infrastructure at Indian airports is stretched

Only when he arrived there three hours later, did he realise he had made a mistake.

"It was a security lapse of the worst kind. No one had noticed that I was carrying a ticket for a later date. It is all about overworked airline officials and casual airport security persons", said Mr Srinivas.

A spokesman for the paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which looks after security at Delhi airport told the BBC "there was no breach of security at the gate at all".

"Anybody who has a valid ticket is allowed inside the terminal building. The date on the ticket is not seen at that point. A passenger might have to enter the building to cancel or reschedule his ticket," Mr B Singh said.

About 12,000 armed CISF staff look after security at 54 of India's 68 civilian airports.

'Rare'

Aviation analyst Kapil Kaul said Mr Srinivas's case appeared to be a "rare" one caused by an absent-minded passenger.

"I guess what might have happened is that the airline found there were seats available on the flight to Kochi on 11 February and gave the passenger a boarding pass presuming that he had advanced his visit," he said.

"But surely they would need to inform the passenger before they did so."

Mr Kaul said there is a lot of pressure on India's airport infrastructure due to burgeoning demand for domestic air travel and inadequate facilities.

Ten domestic airlines in India, including a host of budget carriers, are expected to carry some 33 million passengers this year.