At airport, it’s complete chaos

New Delhi: After expansion, terminal 1-B at Delhi airport can handle around 1,200 passengers every hour. But at peak time, the terminal gets about 1,800 passengers. The load is being felt at the security hold area at the terminal.
"Passengers who arrived a little early had a place to wait in the fog shelter. But now, as soon as they reach airport, they enter the terminal building. This leads to overcrowding," said an Indian Airlines official.
There are two security hold areas at terminal 1-B. "One is allocated for Jet Airways and Jet Lite flights; the other is for rest of the budget airlines," said a senior airport official.
During peak hours, budget airline passengers are sent to the Jet airways security hold, a Jet Lite official said.
The real problem is during peak hours -- between 6 am and 8 am or in the evening -- when there are nearly 20-22 departures. "During peak time, there are 600 additional passengers per hour and if any flight gets delayed, the load increases," said a senior CISF official. In the summer schedule for domestic fight, even 12 to 3 pm is crowded.
The passengers who end up waiting to get security clearance are an irritated lot. "It is a daily routine that once you land, you are standing in queue: first for check in and then for frisking for at least an hour. Once you are inside the plane, again you are waiting for another 30-40 minutes before take off," said Ashok Das, a frequent flier.
14/05/08 Sobhana K/Delhi Newsline

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Categories: Airports May 2008