Chaos at Delhi International Airport: What's the fuss all about and how to AVOID rush?

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3 is a subject of discussion on Twitter after flyers posted pictures of the long waiting queues and chaos.

Image for representation

The Delhi International Airport is making rounds of the internet for all the wrong reasons. The busiest and largest airport of the country is facing a high footfall result in massive congestion at the Terminal 3, especially at the peak hours. The issue has become so severe that many passengers complained of missing their flights and tagged Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Twitter, following which, he promised to take action. Later, the aviation ministry and Delhi Airport's DIAL announced a slew of measures. However, the issue is not yet resolved and passengers are still complaining of long queues at the airport. Here's a better understanding of the issue and how you can avoid the rush:

The Delhi International Airport is spread across three terminals, T1, T2 and T3. While T1 and T2 are domestic terminals, the T3 is both domestic and international terminal and also the largest in India. While the pre-departure process at Delhi Airport during peak hours has always been slightly hectic, but the holiday season of December is being blamed for a sudden increase in footfall. 

Even before entering the airport terminal, passengers have to form long queues to pass the initial level of security clearance. People have also complained about the slow security clearance at the proper security section where all baggages are screened. Fewer counters, lack of space, and limited security personnel have all contributed such a chaos at the airport, as per authorities. 

Many are blaming the pent-up demand after COVID-19, with a lot of passengers travelling for leisure activities across the globe. 

The aviation ministry led by Jyotiraditya Scindia recently met officials from DGCA, AAI and DIAL to discuss plans to ease the situation. He also made a surprise visit to the airport to understand the magnitude of the problem. Here are some of the measures announced:

1. Increasing the number of X-ray screening systems from 14 to 16

2. Reducing the number of flights during peak hours with the aim of having 14 from T3, 11 from T2, and 8 from T1

3. Demolish reserve lounge

4. Convert entry points at Gate 1A and Gate 8B at T3 for passenger use

However, until things become better, it’s advisable to reach Delhi airport well ahead of time to avoid any last-minute chaos. IndiGo today issued an advisory asking passengers to reach at least 3.5 years earlier than departure for domestic flights.

1. Reach Early: While on usual days, it is advisable to reach at least 3 hours early for international travel and 2 hours early for domestic travel, airlines are now advising passengers to reach at least 3.5 hours early in case of domestic travel.

2. Web Check-in: Rather than going to the counter and taking boarding pass, it is advisable to do a web check in prior to reaching the airport. This way one can skip the long queues at the check in counters. 

3. Take specific gates: There are 8 gates in total at the Terminal 3 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Out of these, Gate 1A and 8B are not open for the general public. Also, people generally tend to enter the airport through gates closer to the drop off zone. Rather, one can go a bit further and enter the terminal through gates 5,6 and 7.

4. Carry hand baggage: If you are a regular traveller going on a business trip, try taking your luggage in a hand baggage to skip check in counter. 

5. DigiYatra: Last but not the least, install DigiYatra app. The paperless boarding initiated by the government is receiving a lot of praise from travellers. Some airports even offer dedicated lane for DigiYatra users.