Flier crush in festive rush

Calcutta airport is creaking under the weight of increased passenger traffic this festive season, triggering chaos during check-in and delays in take-off.
The poor state of infrastructure at the airport, still a work in progress, has been exposed these past few days with most flights going full and passenger queues starting from the entrance during peak hours.
“Fliers are arriving on time but the airport’s passenger-handling capacity is proving to be inadequate. The time taken to clear a passenger for boarding from the time he or she enters the terminal is delaying flights by 20 to 30 minutes on an average during rush hours,” said a senior official of the Airlines Operators’ Committee.
On Sunday, most flights taking off from Calcutta were full. “Not a single seat was available on our flights,” said a spokesperson for Air India.
The newly created “direct entrance” and a larger lounge didn’t seem to help.
“The original entrance is now hardly used by passengers because they have to go through a second security check at the point where visitors and fliers are segregated. Most passengers prefer the new gate through which one can reach the check-in area directly,” said a senior airport official.
At least 150 people were in the queue to enter the terminal throughout the morning and evening rush hours on Sunday. A shortage of X-ray machines and manpower to scan luggage compounded the congestion. “We have three machines but one of them can’t be used except during an emergency because there are not enough CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) personnel,” the official said.
05/10/09 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Oct 2009