Hyderabad: The Centre has okayed the visit of a team from the US Department of Transportation to carry out safety checks at the GMR-run Hyderabad airport, said sources. The schedule of the security audit is still being worked out.

Air India is the only carrier which operates to the US from Hyderabad via Delhi, and its passengers have to undergo security check at both airports before flying to the US. If the US team clears the security mechanism at the Hyderabad airport, passengers will not have to undergo a second check at the Delhi airport. Air India had launched its Hyderabad-Delhi-Chicago flight in 2010.

“Due to security issues, the passengers of this flight are first de-planed at the Delhi airport and then they go for a security check. After that they board the plane again before flying to the US. All this is very inconvenient,” said sources.