New system at Chandigarh Airport cuts down baggage handling time

The stand-alone system does not require passengers to queue up for baggage screening and can handle 1,500 bags in an hour

Passenger experience at Chandigarh International Airport just got better with an in-line screening system that will cut down baggage handling time by half. Punjab chief secretary Vini Mahajan inaugurated the system on Thursday.

Punjab chief secretary Vini Mahajan at Chandigarh Airport for the inauguration of the baggage screening system. (HT Photo)

The stand-alone system does not require passengers to queue up for baggage screening and can handle 1,500 bags in an hour.

Expected to aid hassle free check-in and save on an average five to 10 minutes time per passenger, the system costs Rs 15.8 crore and has been integrated with the existing baggage handling system.

After the inauguration, Mahajan held a meeting with airport officials to discuss airport development plans.

The chief secretary also reviewed the incentive scheme for airlines to connect new /unserved routes from the airport, currently the only one in the country to offer such incentives for domestic air travel.

Airlines meeting the criteria get Rs 125 per embarking passenger up to 125 nautical miles and Rs 300 above the said distance, excluding GST.