'Welcome to Hell': Why Delhi Airport's T3 Has Become Nightmare & What's the Solution? EXPLAINED

Imagine this: You reach T3 to board a flight. Within a few hours, you realise you are stuck in a rigamarole of delays ? from check points to entry to the airport.

This is what air travellers have been facing for the past few weeks at Delhi?s Indira Gandhi International Airport?s Terminal-3. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital is the country?s largest airport. It has three terminals ? T1, T2 and T3. All international flights and some domestic services operate from T3.

On average, it handles around 1.90 lakh passengers and about 1,200 flights daily.

While Twitter is filled with dissatisfied user accounts of how things are running, big business names such as Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor have also chimed in with suggestions of their own.

But let?s navigate the long aisles of this problem from scratch, first:

What?s Happening at T3?

Many passengers have been experiencing long waiting hours at the Delhi airport.

From entering the terminal to security and queuing for immigration, the complaints centre on areas over which the airport operators have no direct control. Passengers are complaining about long lines to enter the airport, where an ID check and ticket check are required.

This is often followed by complaints about long lines at check-in. However, the majority of complaints come from security lines, particularly at Delhi T3. This is happening even though Delhi airport is more connected than ever before on the domestic side, with 78 destinations currently compared to 72 pre-Covid.

And Why is It Happening?

Airport officials say this is due to fewer counters, smaller space, more passengers, and limited security staff, according to a report by Indian Express. Some of the congestion may also be due to an increase in the number of travellers at the end of the year, following two years of Covid, which slowed down tourism in general.

Travel has increased in India following the third wave of Covid earlier this year, which saw comparatively lower rates of hospitalisation. In November of this year, for example, tourist footfall in Himachal Pradesh was three times higher than the previous year.

As a result, some airlines require passengers to arrive at the airport at least three and a half hours before their flight?s scheduled departure time.

What are the Solutions?

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday visited Delhi airport and held discussions with all stakeholders on ways to address the congestion at the airport.

Officials said the minister inspected in the morning the arrangements made to address the congestion, and key directions were issued with specific timelines.

The measures will be implemented soon, and the changes are expected to take effect in the next six to seven days, the officials said.

Discussions are also going on with airlines to reduce the number of flights during peak hours at the three terminals. The effort is to have 14 flights at T3, 11 in T2 and 8 in T1 during these hours, officials had said on Saturday.

The peak hours are from 5 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

On December 7, Scindia held a detailed discussion with heads of all major Indian airports, CISF and immigration officials on capacities deployed. The discussion was also on the capacities required at every point to process domestic and international passengers smoothly through the peak travel season.

During the meeting, various initiatives, including plans for peak hour capacity based on passenger processing capacity at each airport, were also discussed.

What are the Measures?

The Ministry of Civil Aviation had ordered various measures:

• The ministry had at the time called to implement immediate corrective measures, such as increasing the number of X-ray screening systems from 14 to 16, PTI had said in a report.
• Officials had told PTI that talks are also underway with airlines to reduce the number of flights at the three terminals during peak hours. During these hours, the goal was to have 14 flights at T3, 11 at T2, and 8 at T1.
• The reserve lounge, among other things, would be demolished, and two entry points at T3?s Gate 1A and Gate 8B would be converted for passenger use.
• DIAL is utilising technology wherever possible, such as the use of an AI-based passenger tracking system for proactive monitoring and messaging of waiting time to passengers and airport employees. According to the statement, the implementation of DigiYatra should help reduce waiting time in the future.
• On Saturday, a spokesperson for airport operator DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) said the company is constantly working with stakeholders CISF and Immigration to meet demand, which includes the deployment of additional systems and manpower.
• ?We have increased manpower to guide passengers, particularly at key choke points, and shifted one additional X-Ray machine. To further improve the situation, all stakeholders, including the CISF and Immigration, will need to address additional manpower requirements ?In a statement, a DIAL spokesperson stated.
• DIAL has taken several steps in the last two days, according to officials, including adding more traffic marshals to the T3 departure forecourt to avoid vehicular congestion. Furthermore, dedicated personnel have been stationed at the entry gates to assist passengers.
• An additional X-ray machine has been installed at T3 domestic, and more personnel have been deployed in the ATRS (Automatic Tray Retrieval System) area to assist passengers with tray preparation and congestion management, according to officials. Aside from that, awareness posters have been placed at the entry gates to ensure that passengers have their boarding cards ready.

With inputs from PTI

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