Problem Overview
Airport security processes are built to be meticulous—and for good reason. But as air traffic grows, maintaining efficiency without compromising security has become a critical concern. One key challenge many Indian airports face is the time-consuming, manual logging of security check records using physical registers. With security personnel needing to record each random inspection, whether suspicious items are found or not, the inefficiencies of manual logging compound quickly.
Our goal was to digitize this log process and significantly reduce the time spent on it, without disrupting the rigid security protocols already in place.
This blog dives into how we creatively leveraged an unlikely source—the passenger’s boarding pass—to build a digital solution that was fast, accurate, and surprisingly simple to adopt.
Key Bottleneck
During our initial research, we discovered that nearly all Indian airports still relied on handwritten logbooks for recording security checks. These logs typically include two types of information:
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Passenger details from the boarding pass
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Security inspection results (e.g., whether SRI—Suspected Restricted Items—were found)
While this system works, it becomes increasingly inefficient as passenger volume grows. Manually writing down each passenger’s details and security findings took an average of 30–40 seconds per entry. Multiply that by thousands of passengers per day, and you’ve got a major bottleneck.
The challenge was clear: how could we reduce logging time without compromising data integrity or introducing complexity to the workflow?
Simply digitizing the logbook wasn’t enough—typing passenger data into a tablet still consumes valuable seconds. We needed a smarter way to automatically fetch the data with minimal input.
Our Approach
To solve this, we focused on the boarding pass—something every passenger already carries and that security officers already examine.
We noticed most boarding passes had barcodes or QR codes. But what information did these codes actually contain? Could we extract meaningful data automatically?
After scanning a few, we found they encoded a structured string of text—not human-friendly, but machine-readable. The challenge was decoding it.
Decoding Boarding Pass Data
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We analyzed the barcode/QR string format and identified a pattern
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We referred to IATA (International Air Transport Association) documentation to understand the global BCBP (Bar Coded Boarding Pass) format
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This standard specifies what information is stored and its position: passenger name, flight number, origin, destination, seat number
Automating Data Extraction
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We developed a lightweight Flutter mobile app that scans the barcode using a mobile/tablet
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The app parses the structured string using IATA rules and extracts relevant fields
Instant Digital Logging
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Parsed information is auto-filled into a digital log
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Security personnel only tap a few buttons to confirm inspection results (e.g., SRI found or not, and if found, which one)
SRI Photo Capture for Accountability
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To strengthen audits, we added photo capture when an SRI item is found
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These images are stored alongside passenger details and inspection outcomes
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This enhances transparency and also aids training and compliance reviews
Implementation Considerations
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Designed to work offline, with local syncing in low-connectivity zones
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Simple interface—most security officers adapted to it within a day
Security & Compliance
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All logs are timestamped and linked to staff credentials
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Compliant with airport IT security norms for data integrity and access control
By the end of development, we had reduced average logging time from 30–40 seconds to under 5 seconds per passenger.
Impact & Outcome
What started as a small observation about boarding passes turned into a powerful solution that significantly reduced one of the most time-consuming tasks in airport security. We didn’t change the security process—we simply removed friction from a repetitive task using smart data extraction and automation.
The key takeaways:
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Existing elements in a workflow (like a boarding pass) can offer hidden opportunities for optimization
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Standards like IATA’s can unlock powerful use cases when properly understood
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Simplicity and usability are crucial to ensure adoption among non-technical users
At CoReCo, we specialize in identifying process bottlenecks and turning them into opportunities for innovation. From aviation to logistics to enterprise operations, our team thrives on combining deep domain understanding with practical technology solutions.
Want to explore how your organization can streamline its processes using data, automation, and smart design?
Reach out to us at [email protected]—we’d love to hear from you!
