Aviation Ministry asks Delhi International Airport to reduce peak-hour flights at Terminal 3 to ease congestion

Delhi International Airport has been facing the problem of congestion, and to solve this, the ministry has initiated conversation with airlines to reduce the number of flights during peak hours, reports PTI.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is in discussions with domestic airlines on methods to reduce overall congestion at the Delhi airport, including the potential for fewer planes to fly during peak hours. Senior ministry representatives paid a visit to Terminal 3 (T3) at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Saturday to examine, among other things, passenger flow and baggage inspections. 

IGIA, also the country's largest airport, has three terminals -- T1, T2, and T3. All international flights and some domestic services operate from T3. The officials said discussions are also going on with airlines to reduce the number of flights during peak hours at the three terminals. They added that the effort is to have 14 flights at T3, 11 in T2 and 8 in T1 during these hours. Specific details could not be immediately ascertained.

Generally, peak hours are in the morning and evening. In the last two days, the ministry officials said DIAL has taken various steps, such as having additional traffic martial at the departure forecourt of T3 to avoid vehicular congestion. Besides, dedicated people have been deployed at the entry gates to help passengers.

The officials said an additional X-ray machine has been installed at T3 domestic, and more manpower has been deployed in the ATRS (Automatic Tray Retrieval System) area to help passengers with tray preparation and congestion management.

Awareness posters have also been put at the entry gates to make sure that passengers are ready with boarding cards. IGIA, which is operated by the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), handles around 1,200 flights daily.

On December 7, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a detailed discussion with heads of all major Indian airports, CISF, and immigration officials on capacities deployed. The discussion was also on the capacities required at every point to process domestic and international passengers smoothly through the peak travel season. During the meeting, various initiatives, including plans for peak hour capacity based on passenger processing capacity at each airport, were also discussed.

With inputs from PTI