Haj flights to overlap Games rush, airport officials worried

New Delhi With another delay in shifting domestic operations to Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, the airport authorities have now decided to move this year’s Haj operations to Terminal 2, the former international terminal. The earlier plan was to shift operations to Terminal 1A, at present being used by Indian Airlines for domestic departures.
Officials, however, fear the airport will have to battle an unprecedented rush and increased security concerns at the time of Commonwealth Games, as a week of Haj flights coincides with the event. This year’s Haj operations are slated to start by October 9, and the last Haj flight from Delhi will depart on November 11. The schedule of flights will take another week to be finalised.
The CISF, responsible for access control into the terminals with anti-hijack and anti-sabotage roles, is apprehensive about the clashing of Haj operations’ dates with the Games. “Till last year, when operations used to take place from the Haj terminal, there were major traffic snarls and congestion on the approach road. A lot of people come to see off the departing Hajis, and the number of vehicles increases. A lot of such people, who are not bonafide passengers, also create ruckus to get inside the terminal building. The shops set up for Hajis in the open outside the terminal building also create security apprehensions,” said a senior airport official.
08/09/10 Geeta Gupta/ExpressIndia

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Categories: airports Sep 2010