Passenger traffic in flights is on the rise and so are the long queues and waiting hours, making travel experience for people a nightmare. Amid the ongoing and persistent problem of congestion at airports, the regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has suggested new flight operations which will operate on the basis of the passenger handling capacity at security checkpoints of the airports.
A senior official told PTI that the BCAS needs to make sure that airports have sufficient capacity to handle the constantly rising air passenger traffic which is why this new decision has been taken. But how will the authority decide this? Let’s break it down.
Capacity Assessment
To decide the new flight operations, the capacity of passenger handling should be taken into account. This will be measured by the airports by taking in consideration the processing time, passenger touch points, queuing time and demand of forecast.
The BCAS is conducting this assessment as part of the Civil Aviation Ministry‘s efforts to ensure there is no congestion at airports during peak travel periods.
Roadblocks
While the authorities are working on determining passenger handling capacity at airports, the Association of Private Airport Operators (APAO) has insisted on taking a more scientific approach. The APAO said that the parameters proposed are too conservative which could lead to creation of inefficient infrastructure, reported PTI.
The report further suggested that the Association in a letter had also called for a consultant who would handle the capacity assessment exercise. The letter also said that once the norms are finalised, they should be taken up by the ministry, and published as standard norms in all major airports.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held at least two meetings this month with airlines and airports’ representatives, to discuss the infrastructure and manpower planning for the upcoming peak travel season, as per PTI. Domestic air traffic has been increasing post the coronavirus pandemic.
The report said that local air-carriers flew 5.04 crore passengers this year during January and April, much higher than 3.53 crore that was recorded during the same period in 2022.