With an unprecedented increase in winter season travel, chaotic scenes are being reported at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Passengers have been taking to Twitter to complain about serpentine queues at security checks and unhelpful staff.
TV anchor and author Rocky Singh tweeted a photo showing a crowded security check at the T3 terminal at 5.30 am today.
"Welcome to HELL," he said. "35 minutes to get into the airport - 25 minutes at a comparatively empty Vistara and now … the mother of all security lines … SECURITY !!! Abandon hope all ye who enter here."
Good morning - 5:30 am Delhi T3 and welcome to HELL … 35 minutes to get into the airport - 25 minutes at a comparatively empty Vistara and now … the mother of all security lines … SECURITY !!! Abandon hope all ye who enter here @JM_Scindia@ShereenBhanpic.twitter.com/uPBvVSJG5E— KHAUBOYS (@rockyandmayur) December 11, 2022
Another user offered a similar description of the airport: "I have been through hell," they said.
One person compared the airport to Delhi's crowded Sarojini Nagar market.
Wonder if this is Sarojni Nagar or #DelhiAirportpic.twitter.com/tYpF8fdjqg— The Critic (@IamDilipYadav) December 11, 2022
The staff are not at all helpful, a user said. "They don’t have hearts to help the incoming passengers. They give vague and inaccurate suggestions."
"Utter chaos and apathy," another wrote, tagging Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
One passenger advised others to leave for the airport at least five hours before their flight from T3.
"The boarding pass scanners don’t work, and I didn’t dare check the FR bit," a user named Prasid Banerjee tweeted. "It’s absolute chaos!"
Public service announcement: If you’re taking a flight from T3 in Delhi, leave at least 5 hours early. As usual, India’s efforts at automation has screwed things up even more. The boarding pass scanners don’t work, and I didn’t dare check the FR bit. It’s absolute chaos!— Prasid Banerjee (@undertecher) December 10, 2022
Another person said people were shouting at each other at the security checkpoints and there weren't adequate crowd control measures in place.
The check-in counters were also clogged, one passenger said.
"Same carousel for multiple aircrafts," they said. "Luggage lying all over. No place to walk and find your belongings. No trolleys."
The chaos at T3 terminal at Delhi International Airport is real.
This is at about 6 am today.
The baggage carousels are full. Same carousel for multiple aircrafts. Luggage lying all over. No place to walk and find your belongings. No trolleys.#DelhiAirport pic.twitter.com/o0SvJgUbJ9— Ravi (@Ravi_Sankar_Rao) December 11, 2022
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has made a four-point plan to handle congestion at the Delhi airport. The plan includes reducing the number of flights at peak hours and installing more screening systems at the airport.
The number of daily domestic passengers now has crossed even the pre-covid levels of about 4,07,000 per day, the civil aviation minister told Business Standard.
"We are going through the peak season," Scindia said. "The fact is that pre-Covid, our highest domestic passenger numbers were roughly about 4,07,000 a day, and we crested that on Monday and reached 413,000."
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