New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has issued guidelines to airport operators across India, prioritizing passenger facilities over commercial establishments and lounges to ease congestion at airports.
Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday emphasized the need for commercial activities to be seamlessly integrated into passenger flow, advocating for clear emergency evacuation routes and minimal travel distances for passengers between retail and dining areas.
Consequent to these guidelines, various airports have already initiated changes. For instance, the reserve lounge at Delhi airport’s Terminal 3 was removed to install additional X-ray machines, Mumbai airport expanded its security checkpoint by removing some shops, and Jaipur airport created an extra departure gate.
These measures are part of the government’s strategy to manage airport congestion better, expecting improvements with increased screening points, additional Central Industrial Security Forces and immigration personnel, and the anticipated installation of the first body scanner by May.
Zulfiquar Hasan, director general of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, mentioned delays in the installation due to international tender processes but confirmed the plan to start with Delhi airport.
In April, Mint had reported about the government’s three-pronged approach to tackling airport congestion, which includes more screening points, a digitalized pre-queuing process, and more security personnel.
A year-long study by the ministry assessed congestion at the country’s top 16 airports, resulting in a significant increase in check-in counters and X-ray baggage machines. Notably, Delhi airport leads with the highest number of X-ray machines and immigration counters.
Additionally, there has been a 21% increase in the deployment of CISF personnel across the 16 airports, with Chandigarh and Jaipur airports recording the highest percentage increases.
The number of immigration counters have also risen at several airports, with the exception of Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Goa Dabolim, Chandigarh, and Bhubaneswar. Delhi airport leads with the most arrival and departure immigration counters, at 174, followed by Mumbai with 140, Chennai with 102, and Kolkata with 92. Across the 16 major airports, barring Patna, the total number of immigration personnel has risen to 1002, up from 808 the previous year.
Scindia also highlighted the growing adoption of the government’s paperless boarding programme, Digi Yatra, which is currently operational at 13 airports and catering to around 85% of passenger traffic. Plans are underway to expand Digi Yatra to 25 more airports by the end of 2024, taking total coverage to 96% of domestic air traffic, and to also collect data for digital travel experiences on international flights.
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Published: 15 Dec 2023, 06:50 PM IST