Civil Aviation ministry cracks the whip at airlines over congestion at Delhi airport, issues guidelines

Social media is abuzz with complains about congestion and long queues at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Taking note of the issue, a parliamentary panel will also be taking it up with the CEO of DIAL, which handles operations at the airport. With airlines asking passengers to arrive early and carry light hand luggage to avoid such incidents, the Civil Aviation Ministry has issued guidelines as well.

The ministry mentioned that it found check-in counters at airports left unattended or could not find adequate staff present. Addressing the inconvenience faced by passengers, it instructed airlines to ensure that there are enough people at baggage drop and check-in counters to make sure congestion is avoided.

In its notification, the ministry also issued instructions for airlines to share real-time data about waiting time for passengers to check on social media.

As netizens shared images of chaos at terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also paid a surprise visit to take stock of the situation. Instructions to install digital display boards have also been issued by the authorities to update passengers about waiting time.

As Delhi remained chaotic on Monday, Mumbai's international airport had clocked the highest single day passenger traffic since the pandemic Saturday.