New Delhi: Airlines will have to mandatorily share PNR details of passengers with customs authorities 24 hours prior to departure of international flights, a move which will help prevent law offenders from fleeing the country.
The information, which shall include name, contact details and payment details, will be used by the customs department for improved surveillance and risk assessment of passengers entering or leaving the country, according to a finance ministry notification.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), under the finance ministry, on August 8 notified the ‘Passenger Name Record Information Regulations, 2022’, which aims at “risk analysis” of passengers to prevent economic and other offenders from fleeing the country as well as check any illicit trade such as smuggling.

‘The National Customs Targeting Centre-Passenger’, set up by the CBIC, will process information for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences under the Customs Act and also for the law enforcement agencies or government departments or any other country, it said.
With this, India joins 60 other countries that collect PNR details of international passengers.
Airlines at present are required to share passenger information limited to name, nationality and passport detail in advance with the immigration authorities.
—PTI

Press Trust of India