Even as the countdown to the Commonwealth Games has begun with the Delhi Metro’s express link to the airport almost 40 per cent complete, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has raised objections to the much-touted direct baggage check-in facility at three Metro stations.

The BCAS has expressed concern over the possibility of ‘contamination’ of baggage after check-in, which raises serious security concerns amid high threat perception at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The plan, according to sources, will affect the standard safety procedures followed across airports in the country.

“While direct baggage check-in has been proposed at three different city air terminals (Metro stations), it hasn’t been understood as to how the checked-in baggage can be kept sterilised till it reaches the airport and then to the aircraft,” a senior civil aviation ministry official said.

BCAS sources said the direct check-in plan does not ensure foolproof sterilisation of passengers or their baggage at a time of such increased threat, with the Commonwealth Games round the corner.

According to official sources in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), provisions are being made for the baggage check-in facility at the New Delhi railway station, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan. “But baggage from all the other stations will be allowed in trains on this line,” an official said.

The express link will have six stations — New Delhi railway station, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, National Highway 8, Airport and Dwarka Sector 21. Dhaula Kuan will be the only elevated terminal among the three city air terminals.

Sources in the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the developers of the Delhi Airport, said the Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE), to be launched with this Metro line, will allow passengers to get their boarding passes automatically, without any manual interference.

However, with security concerns being raised, the facility may be postponed. “With security issues hovering large, the facility might get delayed beyond October 2010 when the three city air terminals become operational at New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan,” an airport official said on the condition of anonymity.

A city airport terminal will be three times the size of a usual Metro station. As per the plan, flight passengers will be able to check-in their baggage at the Metro station itself before boarding the high-speed train to the airport. The baggage will then be directly loaded onto the flights.

The construction plan of these three city terminals will include over 80 airline counters where one can check-in and collect a boarding pass for the flight.