Delhi International Airport Congestion: Number of entry gates increased to reduce chaos at Terminal 3

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia shared information on the details from a meeting after his surprise visit to Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3 in New Delhi on Monday. In an interview with ANI, Scindia emphasized that measures were being taken to guarantee air passengers' ease of travel. Social media users have expressed their reservations about the overcrowding at the main terminal.

"Today, we've increased the number of entry gates from 14 to 16. There was a meeting with officials inside the airport where we've decided that a signboard should be placed at every entry gate displaying the waiting time before entry," Jyotiraditya Scindia told ANI. "This will help people reach the gate where there is minimum waiting time," he added.

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Scindia's Monday surprise visit to Terminal 3 at the international airport came following an increasing number of complaints by commuters about overcrowding and congestion.

A video released by Scindia's office said, "It was a surprise visit of the minister to the airport, and he inspected all the suspected congested areas and interacted with the airport staff to ensure maximum avoiding of overcrowding."

To further ease passenger movement, Scindia told ANI that a key decision was taken regarding the security process. A total of 13 lines are in use presently at Delhi airport, which we have increased to 16. "We are also trying to add a few more lines taking it close to 20," he underlined.

He hoped it wouldwill soon be resolved after he assessed the situation along with Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal. He was seen directing airport officials & the CISF on duty as he checked the worst affected zones.

On December 7, Scindia met officials regarding the airport congestion complaints and discussed steps to sort out the issue. Speaking on his earlier meeting, Scindia said, "Last week, I conducted a meeting where all the stakeholders were present."

The Union Minister explained that following the lull due to Covid restrictions that the aviation industry faced is now over and has been replaced by rising footfalls. "The aviation industry was suffering massively due to Covid restrictions. Because of the recovery from this period, there is a lot of congestion at the airports."

On Sunday, in a key development for Scidia's ministry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Mopa International Airport in Goa. During his inaugural address, PM Modi highlighted the Centre's efforts to boost air connectivity across the country. "In the last eight years, India has made every possible effort to improve 'Ease of Travel' for tourists," PM stressed. 

(With ANI inputs)