India launches Air Suvidha 2.0 amid Ebola outbreak concerns

The Civil Aviation Ministry and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) have launched Air Suvidha 2.0, an upgraded health self-declaration portal for international passengers. Introduced amid Ebola concerns in parts of Africa, the platform enables advance submission of travel and health details, improving public health surveillance and rapid identification of at-risk travellers

New Delhi: An upgraded version of the air passenger health self-declaration portal Air Suvidha has been launched to enhance public health surveillance amid the Ebola outbreak in certain parts of Africa.

The civil aviation ministry and the Delhi airport operator DIAL on Thursday launched Air Suvidha 2.0. Developed in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) unde the health ministry, the portal enables International arriving passengers to submit a mandatory online health self-declaration.

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The declaration will cover 21-day travel history, exposure history and related symptoms, if any, prior to immigration clearance, an official release on Thursday.

Air Suvidha Self Declaration Form (SDF) can be completed 24 hours in advance by passengers before they arrive in India. All International travellers coming to India have to submit their self-declarations in advance.

The civil aviation ministry in the release said the portal enables real-time data sharing with the airport health officer, Bureau of Immigration, IDSP, and state surveillance officers.

Also, the portal will enable swift identification and referral of at-risk travellers while keeping the arrival experience seamless and contactless, with no physical forms to fill on landing, it added.

Air Suvidha portal was earlier operationalised during the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, in May, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).