4 min readNew DelhiDec 13, 2022 08:24 AM IST
First published on: Dec 12, 2022 at 10:40 AM IST
A day after long lines at immigration and security and unorganised checking led to chaos at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made a surprise visit to take stock of the situation Monday.
After the meeting, Scindia, who had also been tagged by many travellers online, told the media, “We had a meeting with all stakeholders at the airport… CISF, DGCA ,airline representatives and airport authorities. We’ve decided that a board should be placed at every gate to display the waiting time. Passengers can see which gate has the least traffic and go there. We also advised that every gate should have ushers; they have been deployed now. These ushers will receive information from the command and control centre about the gates and can guide passengers to access gates with a shorter wait time.”
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia speaks with officials at the Delhi airport on Monday. (Photo: Special Arrangement)
Officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry and DIAL officials have now come up with a plan to cut down wait times. Apart from digital boards, other steps that will be taken include deploying additional Automatic Tray Retrieval System machines for baggage check at security checking in T3; an immediate analysis of manpower requirements at immigration counters, and if need be, deploying additional manpower; and reducing flights during peak hours.
Immediate measures include opening two additional entry gates, taking the final number to 18, and deploying traffic marshals in the departure forecourt to avoid vehicular congestion.
Meanwhile, passengers continued to complain of long queues and waiting hours at the airport, with some even missing their flights because of the chaos. Several passengers took to social media to share their ordeal, especially at the immigration point and check-in area in T3. Videos showed long lines of men and women standing with their luggage with no security or airport staff in sight.
Arpit Sahni, a tech consultant, said, “I received an update from the airlines about the chaos and reached two-three hours in advance Monday morning. The airport was still a mess. I barely made my flight… We kept asking staff about the delay but there was no reply… I was travelling for a friend’s wedding and the journey became a nightmare. Imagine running from the check-in area to the boarding gate in less than 5 minutes. My airline called me and asked me to rush. I was sweating and was worried. We think some people even missed their flights. This is infuriating…”
Dr Kavita Patil, who had to take a flight to Tashkent, said she and almost 50 other medical students waited for three hours in the immigration queue. “Our flight was at 2.30 am. We arrived around 10 pm, thinking it would all go smoothly, but it was an utter mess… The lines were endless. We had so many young students with us who were exhausted, one of them even fainted. We thought we would get help but everyone stood watching. Imagine an international airport with no on-site doctor or even a wheelchair. We carried the student ourselves to a counter where we were asked to wait… There was so much chaos… A group of foreigners were seeing all this and got agitated; I’m sure this doesn’t happen in other countries. Some students came after the ‘final call’ from the airline. It was so hectic for us.”
Officials said they are trying to decongest the airport by reducing the number of flights but the December rush is difficult to handle due to lack of staff.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia made a surprise visit to the Terminal 3 of Delhi Airport on Monday. (Photo: Special Arrangement) 
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia speaks with officials at the Delhi airport on Monday. (Photo: Special Arrangement)
Share
