The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on June 25, 2026 launched AIR SUVIDHA 2.0, an upgraded contactless health self-declaration portal for international passengers arriving in India. The portal is designed to strengthen disease surveillance at all Points of Entry as the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to grapple with a major Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. This marks India’s most significant deployment of digital health screening infrastructure since the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Is AIR SUVIDHA 2.0?
AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 is a digital platform that requires all international arrivals to submit a mandatory Health Self-Declaration Form (SDF) online before clearing immigration. The portal was developed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DIAL in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), which functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. DGHS is the principal technical authority on public health in India and oversees disease surveillance and outbreak response.
The system is built for a fully contactless experience. Passengers can complete the SDF up to 24 hours before their arrival in India, ideally during web check-in or before boarding. Upon landing, travellers simply present the downloaded digital form at the International Travel Health Desk or the Immigration counter for swift verification. No physical forms are required after landing.
The Ebola Outbreak Behind the New Portal
The WHO declared the Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17, 2026 under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005. The IHR are a legally binding framework that binds 196 countries to detect, report, and respond to public health risks that have the potential to cross borders. A PHEIC is the highest level of alert the WHO can issue.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), one of six known species of the Orthoebolavirus genus. It is distinct from the more commonly known Zaire Ebola virus. The Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) has an estimated case fatality rate of 25% to 50%. Unlike the Zaire strain, there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific antiviral treatments available for Bundibugyo virus, making early detection and containment the only available defence.
As of June 22, 2026, the DRC had reported 1,094 confirmed cases including 277 deaths, with the hardest-hit Ituri Province alone accounting for 997 cases. Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases including 2 deaths, and South Sudan has been assessed by the WHO as being at high risk of cross-border transmission. On June 24, 2026, France confirmed its first Ebola case linked to this outbreak in a humanitarian doctor returning from the affected region, underscoring the global reach of the threat.
How the Portal Works
AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 collects three categories of information from each passenger: their 21-day travel history, any potential exposure to infected individuals or animals, and any symptoms consistent with viral haemorrhagic fever such as fever, fatigue, vomiting, or bleeding. The 21-day window matches the maximum incubation period of the Ebola virus, which is the time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms.
The key innovation of the upgraded portal is its real-time data integration with multiple government agencies. Passenger data is shared instantly with:
The Airport Health Officer (AHO), who is the first responder at the airport for any suspected case. The Bureau of Immigration, for coordinated clearance processes. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), which operates under the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and serves as India’s nationwide disease monitoring network, covering all districts through a three-tier structure of Central, State, and District Surveillance Units. And the State Surveillance Officers, who can trigger local public health responses if a passenger later develops symptoms after reaching their destination.
This multi-agency integration allows authorities to quickly identify, isolate, and refer at-risk travellers for medical evaluation while keeping the arrival experience smooth for the vast majority of passengers. The portal is live at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in.
From COVID-19 to Ebola: The Evolution of Air Suvidha
The original Air Suvidha portal was introduced in 2020 as part of India’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It required all international passengers to submit a self-declaration form along with RT-PCR test results and vaccination certificates before boarding. That system was discontinued in February 2023 after the WHO declared an end to the COVID-19 PHEIC, and India removed all remaining pandemic-era travel protocols.
The reincarnation of the portal as version 2.0 reflects a broader shift in India’s approach to public health preparedness at Points of Entry. Rather than building a new system from scratch for every disease outbreak, the government has repurposed a proven digital infrastructure to address a different pathogen. The architecture of contactless data collection and real-time inter-agency sharing remains the same, but the health parameters have been updated to match the epidemiology of Ebola instead of COVID-19.
DIAL, which operates Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi, India’s busiest airport, played a lead role in deploying the portal. DIAL was incorporated in March 2006 as a joint venture between the GMR Group (54%), Airports Authority of India (AAI) (26%), Fraport AG (10%), and Malaysia Airports (10%). It operates IGIA under a 60-year concession (30 years plus a 30-year extension option) through an Operations, Management and Development Agreement (OMDA) signed with AAI. The Ministry of Civil Aviation, headquartered at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in New Delhi, oversees civil aviation policy and exercises administrative control over DIAL and other aviation bodies.
Key Takeaways
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation and DIAL launched AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 on June 25, 2026 for contactless health screening of international passengers.
- The portal requires passengers to submit a Health Self-Declaration Form (SDF) covering 21-day travel history, exposure details, and symptoms up to 24 hours before arrival.
- The launch follows the WHO’s declaration of a PHEIC on May 17, 2026 for the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the DRC and Uganda under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.
- The Bundibugyo virus has a case fatality rate of 25% to 50%, with no licensed vaccines or specific treatments currently available.
- As of June 22, 2026, the DRC had reported 1,094 confirmed cases and 277 deaths, while Uganda had 20 confirmed cases.
- The portal integrates real-time data with the Airport Health Officer, Bureau of Immigration, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), and State Surveillance Officers.
