Visuals of long queues turning into anxious crowds doing the rounds on social media highlighted the chaos that Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport had descended into. This was followed by a visit by the Minister of Aviation and a rebuke by the ministry over lack of staff. Amid remedial measures and suggestions including one from an ex-IIT Delhi director, the Airport Authority of India has issued a notice to Delhi airport over the debacle.
AAI steps in to clear the air
The airport regulatory body is also likely to impose a penalty on the private-sector airport through its rights under the privatisation agreement of 2006. The government body can step in if the private operators aren’t able to comply with the standards of services at an airport. The firm handling operations at Delhi airport, DIAL has been asked to furnish retails about service status and the measures taken to fix glitches, according to a report by Economic Times.
Airlines instructed to buckle up
A day after passengers were forced to stand in line for hours at Delhi, the Ministry of Civil Aviation pointed out how check-in counters were left attended or had lack of staff. The ministry instructed airlines to increase their workforce and streamline operations for check-in and baggage pickup to avoid such bottlenecks. Airlines were also instructed to use systems for monitoring traffic, and providing real-time updates on waiting times.
Minister demand more from operators
The Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also pulled up DIAL for the fiasco, saying that it was the airport operator’s responsibility to make sure such incidents don’t affect passengers.
Among airlines IndiGo also asked passengers to arrive three and a half hours before their flight time, to make sure that too many people don’t cause congestion at the counters. The former IIT Delhi director said that IITs have the capacity to help airports in streamlining operations.
