Delhi airport chaos: Aviation minister lists measures to ease crowding at T3 after surprise check

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 12, 2022: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday paid a surprise check at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi, amid complaints of overcrowding and congestion. After the inspection, Scindia got all the stakeholders in a room at the Delhi airport office and issued key directions to them.

 

As a barrage of complaints flooded social media over the weekend, Scindia said it has been decided that the number of entry gates will be increased from 14 to 16. Moreover, in a meeting with officials, it was also decided that a board should be placed at every entry gate to display the waiting time before entry.

 

Today we’ve increased the number of entry gates from 14 to 16. There was a meeting with officials inside the airport where we’ve decided that a board should be placed at every entry gate to display the waiting time before entry: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia pic.twitter.com/9YwXXRa567

— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2022

"Today we’ve increased the number of entry gates from 14 to 16. There was a meeting with officials inside the airport where we have decided that a board should be placed at every entry gate to display the waiting time before entry, "Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said.

It is to be noted that passengers travelling through Terminal 3 (T3) of the Delhi airport have raised multiple complaints for the past few days regarding long security check queues, delays in boarding and a lack of smooth management. Reports were doing rounds that Jyotiraditya Scindia would pay a surprise visit to Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport to take stock of the situation amid complaints of congestion by passengers.

"The pressure on the system at the airport should be reduced in the next 10 to 15 days. Last week, we took several decisions by meeting with the stakeholders.We have to start a new service delivery system as the number of passengers at the airport has surged post pandemic," he said.

ON SECURITY PROCESS

Speaking on the security concerns at the airport, the minister said, "Another important decision taken today was regarding the security process. A total of 13 lines are in use presently at Delhi airport, which we have increased to 16. We are also trying to add a few more lines taking it close to 20 lines." (sic)

"Last week I conducted a meeting where all the stakeholders were present. The aviation industry was suffering massively due to Covid restrictions. Because of the recovery from this period, there is a lot of congestion at the airports," he added.

The meeting was carried out after several complaints concerning congestion, lack of staff and delays due to crowds were reported. The unorganised checking and rush in the lounge showcased the laxity on the part of airport authorities. Passengers have complained that they had to wait for two to three hours in the clearance area before the final departure of the flight.

ON DIGIYATRA APP

Asked about the DigiYatra app, Scindia told the media, "The greater the adoption of DigiYatra, it will facilitate in many ways all the crowd we see both at the entry point and the security check-in. Along with this, the ushers must have contact with the command and control centre that senses the crowd capability at each gate."

The DigiYatra App, launched at various airports across the country, facilitates a contactless air travel experience. Digi Yatra is conceived to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT).

"We’ve studied and taken a summary of bottlenecks. CISF will provide adequate amount of staff and there will be no compromise on it," he said.

FOUR- POINT ACTION PLAN

As complaints about the airport being overcrowded and long queues have flooded the social media, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has come up with a four-point action plan to be implemented as immediate remedial measures. These include enhancing the number of X-Ray screening systems from 14 to 16 at the airport.

One Automatic Tray Retrieval System (ATRS) machine and two standard X-Ray machines will be added. The two entry points, Gate 1A and Gate 8B, will be converted for passenger usage. The number of peak hour departures will be reduced from the current 19 to 14 flights at Terminal 3.

Courtesy: India Today