’Reach at least 3.5 hrs prior to departure’: IndiGo issues advisory amid congestion at Delhi airport

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

New Delhi, Dec 13, 2022: IndiGo airlines has issued advisory for passengers to bring down congestion at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. IndiGo has requested passengers to reach the airport at least 3.5 hours prior to domestic departures, and to carry only one piece of hand baggage weighing 7 kgs for a smooth security check.

 

The advisory comes in the wake of major congestion at the Delhi airport that the passengers have been complaining about, highlighting long waiting hours at the airport with some even shared pictures of the crowd at the airport on social media.

The authorities on Monday put in place an action plan whereby flights during morning peak hours will be reduced and efforts will also be made to move some flights from Terminal 3.

The action plan followed civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inspecting the arrangements at Terminal 3 (T3) to deal with the congestion.

IndiGo Airlines Delhi Airport Advisory

IndiGo airlines said in its advisory that the Delhi airports are experiencing high footfalls, adding that check-in and boarding time is expected to be longer than usual.

-The airliner advised passengers to reach the Delhi airport at least 3.5 hours prior to domestic departure.

-Passengers have been advised to carry one piece of hand baggage weighing 7 kgs for a smooth security check.

-For added convenience, passengers have been advised to ensure their web check-in is complete.

-The airliner asked passengers travelling in IndiGo to use Gate No. 5 and 6 for entry at T3 as they are closest to airline’s counters.

IGIA has three terminals — T1, T2 and T3. All international flights and some domestic services operate from T3. On an average, it handles around 1.90 lakh passengers and about 1,200 flights daily.

Authorities Put in Place an Action Plan

-To address Delhi airport congestion, authorities on Monday put in place an action plan whereby flights during morning peak hours will be reduced and efforts will also be made to move some flights from Terminal 3.

-Apart from posting real-time updates on waiting time on social media, a command centre will monitor crowding at the gates on a real-time basis, officials said.

-Crowd managers and usherers will guide travellers. Further, airlines will be notified about the crowd numbers so that check-in points can be made congestion-free, they added.

-Number of flights between 5 am and 9 am will be reduced and it will also be explored to move some flights to T1 and T2 or to non-peak hours at T3, as part of the action plan. The peak hours are from 5 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

-At T3 domestic, additional ATRS (Automatic Tray Retrieval System) machines for baggage check will be deployed to help reduce the congestion. Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were 13 ATRS machines installed on the ground — 11 for passengers + 2 for crew and specially-abled.

-This number has been increased to 16 (10 ATRS + 6 conventional X-ray machines) in the last few days. This will be increased further to 17 soon, and subsequently to 20, officials said.

-Officials added that analysis of the manpower requirements at immigration counters will be undertaken immediately, and additional manpower will be deployed if need be.

-Among other steps, all airlines will be required to keep their counters completely manned, especially during peak hours.