‘Counters at certain airports were found unmanned or…’: Centre to airlines amid Delhi T3 chaos

The ministry asked airlines to deploy sufficient manpower at their airport counters after many were found unmanned. It also directed them to put real-time information about wait times on their social media handles.

The ministry of civil aviation on Tuesday issued advisories to all airlines to help clear the congestion at airports amid continuing chaos at the Delhi airport and long queues.

Passengers make an enquiry from security personnel at a terminal at the Chennai Airport on Tuesday.(PTI)

The ministry asked airlines to deploy adequate manpower at all check-in and baggage drop counters to ensure the smooth flow of passengers. Besides, the ministry has requested the scheduled airlines to place real-time data on their social media feeds regarding waiting time at respective airports' entry gates.

The latest communication comes against the backdrop of rising passenger complaints of long waiting hours at Delhi airport where the authorities have taken various measures to ease the congestion.

According to the ministry, it has come to the notice that the airline check-in counters at certain airports are found unmanned or inadequately manned during early morning hours leading to congestion at the airports, thereby causing inconvenience to the passengers.

"Scheduled airlines are therefore advised to deploy sufficient manpower at all check-in/baggage drop counters well in advance to ensure de-congestion and smooth flow of passengers at airports," it said.

Domestic air traffic is on the rise and airlines carried more than 4.18 lakh people on December 12, as per official data.

Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday paid a surprise visit to the airport and inspected all the suspected congested areas and interacted with the airport staff.

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) in New Delhi.

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

The IGIA has three terminals -- T1, T2 and T3. All international flights and some domestic services operate from T3. On an average, it handles around 1.90 lakh passengers and about 1,200 flights daily.

(With inputs from agencies)