Now, drop off baggage faster at Delhi airport’s T3

A new self-baggage drop facility was launched where they can load their baggage without approaching the airline counters

Passengers flying out of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport can now declare and load their baggage without approaching the airline counters at the airport.

Officials said that the move will allow passengers to save around 15-20 minutes of their time at the airport. (PTI)

The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) — the airport operator at IGI — on Monday announced the launch of a self-baggage drop (SBD) facility at the airport’s Terminal 3 (T3), with officials stating that the move will allow passengers to save around 15-20 minutes of their time at the airport. The facility will allow passengers with a boarding pass and baggage tags to proceed to the SBD machines where they can declare their baggage and load it onto a designated belt, without approaching an airline counter.

Officials of DIAL said that the facility has been introduced only for domestic passengers as of now and covers only passengers of IndiGo airlines. More airlines and international passengers can avail the facility soon.

“Five other airlines, including Air India, Vistara, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and British Airways, are likely to allow usage of self-baggage drop for their passengers soon. The self-baggage drop facility is located at the check-in row P of T3,” said a DIAL spokesperson, adding that the facility will be available for international passengers post mandatory approvals.

Explaining the process, the DIAL spokesperson said that passengers would first have to generate the boarding passes and baggage tags at the self check-in kiosks at the entrance of the terminal. “After tagging their check-in baggage and scanning their boarding passes, passengers will proceed to load their baggage on the designated belt at the SBD facility. The baggage will be automatically transferred to the sorting area and subsequently onto the aircraft,” said the spokesperson, adding that passengers need not register separately to use the facility.

The official said that each SBD machine can cater up to three passengers per minute. Currently 14 SBD machines have been installed, with 12 being fully-automated while two others are hybrid — machines for which manual assistance will be provided. The machines have initially been calibrated to weigh up to 120kg.

“The facility aims to make the passengers self-reliant, while at the same time significantly reduce the time taken for baggage processing,” said DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar.