Travellers at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3 may not find their choice of liquor at its outlet. Here’s why

In an email to DCCWS, the airport authority also highlighted that the ongoing “operational issue” and restricted entry of staff have affected customer experience. “This is to bring to your notice that for the past two months, the store has been facing operational challenges — stock issues… leading to loss of business… Staff airport entry issues are also leading to inadequate manpower at stores, leading to inconsistent customer experience,” said officials.

The Excise Commissioner did not respond to messages and calls.

Sources said that the liquor outlet was shut for a few days earlier this month due to the staff entry issues, and a note was posted outside the store saying, “The store’s sales have been stopped due to the lack of staff passes.”

“The entry pass/identity card of staff who work at the liquor shop was not renewed, due to which the shop was closed for a couple of days. But, the issue was resolved later,” an official from the Excise department had said then.

The airport also highlighted a drop in the daily average sales due to operational challenges.

According to data, the daily average sale was Rs 3.04 lakh in January, which dropped to Rs 2.20 lakh in May.

The data shows that the daily average sales went down in February to Rs 2.71 lakh but picked up in March, generating Rs 3.52 lakh daily. But it dropped in the following months.

“We must appreciate the fact that when the store was open, it created a lot of buzz… at the Delhi airport… We request you to kindly intervene and resolve the issue immediately,” read the communication.

This liquor shop at T3 is the only such store, and was reopened almost two years after it was shut following the investigations and probe by investigating agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), into the now-scrapped 2021-22 liquor policy.

The shop was reopened last year under the currently implemented excise regime.

It is the only duty-free liquor store that caters to domestic and international travellers. The walk-in store, with self-service, was reopened last year under the DCCWS and operates 24×7.

Sources said that the contract of the liquor shop will expire on June 6.

Following the scrapping of the old liquor policy, Delhi has only government-run liquor stores. There are four corporations — DCCWS, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited — which run these shops across the city.