Amid reports of chaos and congestion at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), many airlines have issued travel advice, advising travellers to arrive at least 3.5 hours before domestic departures. It also requested that travellers bring only one piece of hand luggage weighing no more than 7 kilograms for a seamless security check.
"The Delhi airport is witnessing heavy congestion, and check-in and boarding times are projected to be longer than usual. Passengers are asked to arrive at the airport at least 3.5 hours before domestic departures and to bring only one piece of hand luggage weighing 7 kgs for a seamless security check," indigo airlines mentioned in a tweet.
“Please make sure you finish your web check-in for extra convenience. Please utilise gate numbers 5 and 6 for entry into Delhi Airport's Terminal 3 because they are closest to the IndiGo check-in booths,” it said.
So, if a person is flying from Delhi to Chennai and the flight is scheduled to depart at 12.10 p.m., the customer must arrive at the airport by 8.40 a.m.
Chaos at the airport
Since Sunday, several travellers have been stuck in huge lines at the Delhi airport. According to social media posts, travellers experienced issues such as excessive wait times owing to fewer counters, reduced space, and a lack of security personnel.
According to airport authorities at Delhi's T3 terminal, the heightened congestion and chaos are the result of the year-end rush of travellers. The rush is greater this year since the Covid restrictions were loosened, and domestic tourism in general witnessed an increase.
The T3 terminal, which has seen the most congestion in recent days, is one of the country's busiest connecting points, handling around 500 domestic and 250 foreign flights. According to the ministry, the daily passenger footfall is between 1.9 and 1.95 lakh. As per DIAL statistics, the Delhi airport has decreased the number of planes for decongestion from 22 to 19 flights per hour (pre-Covid) (November 2022). "New recommendations have been drafted to reduce 14 flights in T3, 11 in T2, and 8 in T1 flights to deal with the congestion," a ministry official said."
Several steps have also been implemented at the airport terminals to minimise chaos, Such as the deployment of four more traffic marshals (12 on the ground) at the departure forecourt to minimise vehicular congestion, awareness posters reminding passengers to have their boarding cards handy at the entry gate, and an extra X-Ray machine at T3.
To reduce the congestion, posters with dos and don'ts for passengers and increased human deployment in the Automatic Tray Return Systems (ATRS) region were put up. Furthermore, plans are in the works to convert two entrance points - Gate 1A and Gate 8B - for passenger usage, as well as to the-bunch planes. According to ministry officials, airlines have been advised to work gradually to minimise peak-hour departures.
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