The festive season is almost here and the Ministry of Civil Aviation is taking various measures to alleviate airport congestion ahead of it. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia took stock of the situation and asked the authorities to take a series of steps to prevent congestion. The issue of congestion was witnessed at the major airports in the last year’s festive season.
According to a statement issued by the civil aviation ministry on Thursday (August 3), multiple steps including the additional manpower deployment by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and reinforcement of Bureau of Immigration (BoI) staff have been taken to ease congestion.
Taking immediate stock of the situation, Scindia visited the Delhi Airport to inspect the arrangements. Scindia also issued clear instructions to the airport operators at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai airports, urging them to identify any bottlenecks and promptly enhance their capacity to cater to the increasing passenger demand.
Measures taken by major airports ahead of the festive season
The authorities are deploying additional manpower at Delhi Airport from CISF ahead of the festive season. The reinforcement of Bureau of Immigration (BoI) staff and the additions are made to the security infrastructure such as X-ray machines and check-in counters.
Furthermore, the Delhi airport authorities will make use of social media platforms in sharing real-time updates with passengers for a seamless airport transit experience.
Terminal 3 (T3) witnessed expansion with the creation of two additional entry gates for passengers. The airport has also installed 12 new X-ray machines at T3 (Domestic) and 2 more at T3 (International).
Waiting Time Display screens have also been placed at entry gates of Delhi Airport and Security Naka to keep travelers informed about waiting times.
In addition to this, twenty-eight new check-in counters have been made operational and provisions for more 14 counters have been made. Moreover, the self-baggage drop facility has come into operation.
Mumbai Airport has also responded to the rising passenger demand by introducing measures to enhance its capacity and streamline passenger flow. Recently, two additional entry lanes were implemented, with plans to add 14 more entry lanes and 12 e-gates by October 2023.
To expedite the check-in process, 25 new Self Bag Drop (SBD) counters will be added by October 2023, followed by 20 more by March 2024. Additionally, as many as 500 seats are to be added each at domestic and international bus and contact gates by Oct. 23 in Mumbai Airport.