High-level government meeting today on Delhi airport rush
A crucial government meeting is set to be held at 11 am on Thursday on the rush at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla will chair the high-level meeting, officials aware of the matter said. The rush and chaos at the airport in the national capital and flaring temperaments have raised major concerns over the last few days.
Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday visited the airport for a review. Visuals from his visit showed him speaking with the officials. On Wednesday, the minister said that steps taken to ease congestion have started reaping results. “In the last 24-36 hours, all agencies have swung into action to mitigate congestion at every checkpoint at all major airports. Congestion at entry points and check-in counters at T3 (Terminal-3) has eased,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post. He further said that the matter is further likely to resolve over the next week.
Among the steps listed by Scindia were addition of four additional X-Ray machines at the security hold area, display boards showing wait times, and the deployment of CISF (Central industrial Security Force) manpower.
The civil aviation ministry on Tuesday asked airlines to deploy more staff at all check-in counters. “It has come to the notice of the ministry of civil aviation that airline check-in counters at certain airports are found unmanned or inadequately manned during early morning hours leading to congestion at the airports, thereby causing inconvenience to the passengers,” read the notification.
The surge in passenger volumes after two years of slowdown during the pandemic is said to be a crucial reason for the chaos, which has been triggered at the airports.
In the midst of complaints, airlines have been putting out separate advisories for passengers. Domestic carrier IndiGo on Monday urged the passengers to reach the airport 3.5 hours prior to their flights. Air India also released a similar advisory.
The Delhi International Airport Authority Limited has also been putting out regular updates on Twitter on passenger movement.