There is a new thinking on airport security in the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA), 

which views it as a sovereign function and believe that air passengers should not be charged for it.

Today, a large part of the Rs 147 per ticket a flyer pays as passenger service fee (PSF) consists of cost incurred by airports for the Central

 Industrial Security Force (CISF) deployment. This is not the case for bus or train travels. 

 In these mode of travels, the security cost is borne by the state.

A senior MoCA official said his ministry will take up the matter with the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and ask 

it to look at rationalisation of CISF costs at the 59 airports they are deployed at.

"We are telling them (MHA) to reduce cost of operation of CISF. We are also looking at whether security (at the airport) is a sovereign function.

 Why should the passengers pay for it? Why we cannot ask for it (rationalisation of CISF cost) is because of the perception that it is rich people

 who fly and so they can afford to pay for it," he said.

According to a senior AAI official, around 22,000-23,000 CISF personnel are stationed at the 59 airports today and the total security cost,

 including payments made to the CISF, at all airports is over Rs 1,000 crore per year.

He said an excess of 28% charge is levied by the CISF as leave reserve. A security officer of the AAI said that this charge for 

28% excess CISF personnel was as per the norms set by the MHA.

The AAI official said ministry did not want to compromise security but wanted to look at a more cost-effective system.

"Security is a sovereign function. Do you get charged for the security provided at the bus stand or at the railway station? You don't,

 then why should you be charged for it at airports?" he said.