MoCA looks at reducing peak hour flights to manage congestion at Delhi airport: Officials

Akasa Air aircraft order includes 72 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes. Delivery of 18 aircraft will be given by March 2023, followed by delivery of the remaining 54 aircraft over the course of the next four years. (Image: Akasa Air)

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is discussing with domestic airlines ways to address overall congestion at the Delhi airport, including the possibility of reducing the number of flights operated during peak hours, according to officials.

On Saturday, senior ministry officials visited the Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here to inspect passenger movements and baggage checkpoints, among other aspects, the officials said.
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.
The effort is to have 14 flights at T3, 11 in T2 and 8 in T1 during these hours, they added.
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.