Congestion at Delhi airport: Parliamentary Committee summons CEO of DIAL

According to the committee’s Chairman Vijayasai Reddy,the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture will be holding a meeting with Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, the CEO of the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), on December 15 amid passengers facing long waiting hours. With the yearend holiday season already in full swing ahead of Christmas and new year, footfalls at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have been on the rise.

The panel is to hear the views of the DIAL CEO and the Chairman of the Association of Private Airport Operators (APAO) on the ‘development of greenfield and brownfield airports and issues pertaining to civil enclaves in defence airports’, according to the notice.

In recent days, there have been rising passenger complaints about long queues and waiting hours at the country’s largest airport Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The civil aviation ministry and the stakeholders have taken various measures to deal with the situation.

Due to increasing congestion at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, low-budget carrier IndiGo on Tuesday advised passengers to reach the airport at least 3.5 hours prior to domestic departures and carry only one piece of hand baggage weighing 7 kg for a smooth security check.

The airline said the Delhi airport is experiencing high footfalls, and check-in and boarding time is expected to be longer than usual. It also advised passengers to use gate numbers 5 and 6 for their entry at Delhi Airport, Terminal 3, as these are nearest to the IndiGo check-in counters.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has ordered various decongestion measures at the IGIA, officials said.

*With inputs from agencies