New Delhi: After the continuous complaints of chaos and crowding at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi, airlines have said in the advisory issued for the passengers that now it will be necessary to reach the airport 3.5 hours before the flight time. The companies have also fixed the weight of the passengers’ bags.
Indigo, the largest company in the domestic aviation sector has issued a travel advisory, asking passengers to reach the airport at least 3.5 hrs prior to domestic departures. It has also asked the passengers to carry only one piece of hand baggage weighing 7 kg for a smooth security check. The airline company has said that more passengers than usual are arriving at the airport in December, due to which the check-in and boarding process may take longer. Therefore, to avoid this inconvenience, passengers should reach the airport about 3.5 hours before.
“The Delhi airports are experiencing high footfalls and the check-in and boarding time is expected to be longer than usual. Passengers are requested to reach the airport at least 3.5 hrs prior to domestic departures, and to carry only 01 pieces of hand baggage weighing 7 kgs for a smooth security check,” Indigo said in a statement on Twitter.
“Please ensure that you complete your web check-in, for added convenience. Please use gate numbers 5 and 6 for entry at Delhi Airport, Terminal 3, as these are nearest to the IndiGo check-in counters,” it added.
Why the new advisory was issued?
As Christmas and New Year holidays are falling at the end of December, many people are planning to go on a trip within the country and abroad. Due to the possibility of increasing the crowd at the airport, the airline companies have issued a new advisory. In this, it has been said that in order that the passengers do not to get disturbed at the airport, it is necessary that they complete their web check-in in advance. Passengers should reach the airport about 3.5 hours before the departure of the flight so that the check-in process can be done quickly and smoothly.
Airline companies have asked passengers to bring only handbags weighing up to 7 kg to avoid inconvenience. Indigo has said that people traveling on its flights should come from gate number 5 and 6 of IGI Airport, as most of the company’s counters are near this gate. It is worth mentioning that earlier the passengers were given entry from 14 gates at IGI, which has now been increased to 16.
An Advisory was implemented at Mumbai airport too Earlier, a new advisory has been implemented at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in view of the increasing crowd on the occasion of New Year and Christmas. It has been said that passengers traveling to international destinations should reach the airport 3.5 hours before the departure of the flight, while domestic air passengers will have to reach the airport 2.5 hours before that time.
Display Boards, Ushers, Real-Time Updates
The directions issued by the aviation minister include the installation of digital display boards at each entry gate showing the wait time as well as at least one wait time board at the terminal checkpoint. Crowd managers and ushers will guide flyers at the airport to ease the congestion.
Scindia also suggested that updates on the wait time be posted on social media in real-time. All airlines have been asked to keep their check-in counters completely manned, especially during peak hours.
In a bid to tackle the ongoing congestion at the airport in the national airport, flights during morning peak hours will be reduced and efforts will also be made to move some flights from Terminal 3, news agency PTI reported. The peak hours are from 5 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.
A command center will monitor crowding at the gates on a real-time basis. At T3 domestic, additional ATRS (Automatic Tray Retrieval System) machines for baggage check will be deployed to help reduce the congestion, the officials told PTI. An action plan has been drawn up after the visit of the minister to T3 of the Delhi airport on Monday morning.
