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The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has taken several steps to address the issue of airport congestion during the upcoming festive season. The ministry has devised a plan to ensure smooth airport operations. This comes after the congestion witnessed during the last year’s festive season raised concerns about passenger processing delays.
To tackle the potential congestion this year, MoCA is undertaking several measures, including the immediate deployment of additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel in two phases by October and November 2023. The Bureau of Immigration (BoI) staff will also be reinforced by October 2023.
In addition to bolstering manpower, MoCA aims to enhance security infrastructure at airports. This will involve the addition of extra X-ray machines, check-in counters, and self-baggage drop facilities, all geared towards expediting passenger processing.
To facilitate a smooth airport transit experience, MoCA also plans to leverage social media platforms to provide real-time updates to passengers. Information about increased processing capacity and expanded Security Check areas will also be communicated through these channels.
Annexure A, rolled out by MoCA provides a glimpse into action plans for each airport to prevent congestion and enhance overall passenger processing capabilities.
The approval from the regulator allows both Air India Express and AIX Connect, formerly Air Asia flights, flights to be marketed, distributed and operated under a common brand name ‘Air India Express’, prior to the subsequent scheduled legal merger of the two entities. Over the past few months, Air India Express and AirAsia India have taken significant steps towards the integration..
Congestion Mitigation Measures at Major Airports
Delhi Airport has added two gates at Terminal 3, 12 X-ray machines, and Waiting Time Display screens. They also introduced 28 check-in counters and a self-baggage drop facility. In response to the rising demand for immigration services, six e-visa counters will be converted for operations.Mumbai Airport implemented additional entry lanes and plans to add 12 e-gates. They will have 25 Self Bag Drop counters by October, 2023 and 20 more by March 2024. The airport is also upgrading security with new ATRS machines and increasing seating capacity. Additionally, 43 counters for Emigration Departure and 65 counters for immigration arrival are expected to be added by October.
Bengaluru Airport is awaiting clearance from the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) for modifications and an increase in the number of counters needed for emigration and immigration processing. These planned changes are crucial for enhancing passenger processing and reducing congestion at the airport, stated MoCA.
At Hyderabad Airport, 20 entry gate lanes have been made available to facilitate passenger entry, with additional passenger service associates deployed outside the gates to offer assistance. It offers 48 self-service kiosks and 16 ATRS machines for security checks. The airport is also equipped with 16 Advanced Threat Response Systems (ATRS) and one standalone screening machine at Pre-Embarkation Security Check (PESC).
Kolkata Airport will add 20 check-in counters to cater to the increasing number of passengers., more X-BIS machines by September, and immigration counters to ease passenger flow.
Chennai Airport’s T1 and T4 will operate as domestic terminals. They are adding Departure Emigration counters, along with X-BIS machines. To expedite immigration processes, 19 more counters will be available at Arrival Immigration by September 2023, followed by an additional ten counters by March 2024.
These measures, said MoCA, aim to improve passenger processing, reduce congestion, and enhance travel experiences during the upcoming festive season at major airports.
Looking back, last year’s festive season witnessed congestion at major airports, leading to longer waiting times for passengers at various touchpoints. In response, Scindia visited the Delhi Airport and directed airport operators across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai to identify bottlenecks and increase capacity to meet the growing passenger demand.
The causes of congestion were analysed, revealing factors such as insufficient airport infrastructure, inadequate X-ray screening machines, bunching of flights during peak hours, and a lack of CISF and immigration manpower.
Immediate actions were taken to address these issues. The number of X-ray machines at Pre-Embarkation Security Checkpoints was significantly increased, additional entry gates were installed, waiting time screens were introduced, and support manpower was deployed to assist passengers.
To ensure smoother immigration processes, MoCA collaborated with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to ensure 100 per cent manning of immigration counters. The CISF was actively involved in increasing deployment, and airport operators were directed to stagger flight schedules during peak hours.
Additionally, the airport operators implemented a 2D barcode scanner system at entry gates, enabling automated entry for passengers with barcoded tickets. This measure aimed to expedite the security process and reduce waiting times.
MoCA launched “Digi Yatra” on December 1, 2022. This biometric-enabled travel experience, based on Facial Recognition technology, encourages air travellers to utilise the Digi Yatra platform. In-flight announcements also promote the use of Digi Yatra for a hassle-free travel experience.
As part of infrastructure improvements, additional space was created by restructuring terminal layouts to increase capacity, ensuring greater comfort for passengers and, consequently, reducing congestion.
With these measures in place, MoCA is confident that the upcoming festive season will witness smoother airport operations, offering passengers a more pleasant and efficient travel experience.
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