Security drill at CSIA disrupts traffic for an hour near airport, many flights delayed

“Flight services were affected for that time. These are informed drills and must be carried out at the airport once a year, according to the guidelines of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” an official spokesperson from the MIAL said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had issued an alert to all states and security agencies after intelligence agencies warned of possible terror attacks on aircraft, at metro stations or other modes of public transport.

Cars and cabs queued up for about an hour outside T2 till the drill was over. Passengers complained of delayed flights and chaos. “I reached airport at 2 pm to take my Vistara flight to Delhi scheduled at 3.45 pm. After waiting in the queue for almost 20 minutes, I reached the gate only to find myself waiting with a lot of passengers who were asked to wait outside. We were informed that it was being done in the wake of a bomb threat call,” Karan Bajaj, a passenger who was at the airport during the drill, said.

Passengers added that they had to wait for long at the check-in gates and security counters after they were allowed inside after the drill. Each flight of the Jet Airways was delayed for departure by at least 50 minutes till 8 pm on Sunday evening, the airline tweeted.