Delhi T3 congestion issue temporary, normalcy will return soon: Top airport official

The congestion at Delhi airport's Terminal 3 is temporary and it will be normal soon, a top airport official said on Thursday.

DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) group's deputy MD Narayan Rao suggested the chaos was partly due to the rise in the number of passengers post-Covid. He said the number of passengers has increased following the lifting of Covid restrictions. 

"All steps including increasing the number of screening machines have been taken. We are strictly working with the government," he said after meeting the Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Aviation. The committee earlier this week summoned the DIAL CEO as the complaints of congestion at terminal-3 became regular on Twitter.

As the complaints grew, Union Minister of Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia took a surprise visit to take a stock of the situation. After his visit, an action plan was chalked out and the authorities took some measures to reduce the hours-long delay that travelles faced during check-in and security checks.        

Now, traffic marshals have been posted at the departure forecourt to avoid vehicular congestion. There are 16 entry gates at T3 (14 for passengers and two for crew). Two additional gates have been opened, taking the total to 18 gates (16 for passengers, 2 for crew).

Posters have been put up at the entry gate for passengers to be ready with their boarding passes beforehand to save time during check-in. Also, dedicated resources have been deployed at the entry gates to usher passengers in.

At security points, additional X-ray machines have been installed at the domestic terminal of T3. Additional manpower has also been deployed in the ATRS (Automatic Tray Retrieval System) area to help passengers to retrieve trays and ensure congestion management.

(With inputs from agency)