If you found yourself navigating serpentine queues while entering metro city airports between December 2022 and January 2023, you're not alone. Right from trying to enter the airport, to standing for long durations at check-in counter, and then waiting in the security check queue, passengers were seen racing against time to board flights at metro city airports like New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
But fret not. As we gear up for the upcoming holiday season,
Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru, GMR New Delhi, and GMR Hyderabad International Airports have taken proactive measures to ensure a smoother travel experience for the millions of flyers expected to arrive or depart from these bustling airports.
Anticipating a surge in travellers during the holidays, Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB) has relocated international operations to Terminals 2, leaving Terminal 1 exclusively for domestic operations. The airport has undergone significant enhancements, including the addition of supplementary security lanes, boarding gates, and contact stands, KIAB officials told CNBC-TV18.
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On the domestic front, nine new contact stands have been added, bringing the total to 17. A state-of-the-art Pre-Embarkation Security Check (PESC) area has been activated, featuring Automated Tray Retrieval Systems (ATRS) for added efficiency. To expedite the arrival process for domestic flights, the number of baggage claim belts has been increased to 10. Moreover, the airport has exceeded both peak-hour and annual capacities, ensuring a seamless travel experience that surpasses projected demands for the coming years.
The airport has integrated the queue management system with DICE analytics platform which provides real-time information on waiting times at various passenger touchpoints. Self-service check-in kiosks, self-bag drop facilities, Digi Yatra and Airport mobile app (BLR Pulse), have also been implemented to navigate the passenger rush.
In preparation for the holiday season and surge in passenger traffic, the airport will deploy additional staff. KIAB is in close coordination with CISF officials to optimise staffing levels. To avoid congestion at airport entry points, all departure gates have been designed so that they can be converted into DigiYatra entry gates. Depending on demand, airports will convert their entry gates. Three full-body scanners have been installed at Terminal 2 and CTX Proof of Concept (POC) is under trial. Installation and integration with ATRS lanes are underway and trials with passengers will begin soon.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad International Airport is deploying a specialised team of 'Passenger Service Associates' across all terminal zones to guide and support passengers. DigiYatra has been integrated into each domestic passenger entry gate at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and DigiYatra-Buddies have been stationed outside to assist passengers, GMR Hyderabad airport officials said.
The airport is anticipating high load of travellers in December, based on current and future booking trends. The airport is expecting a 15 to 20% rise in passenger movement during the upcoming holiday season, compared to last year.
The airport features a unified terminal to accommodate an increased capacity for both domestic and international check-ins. The revamped passenger terminal now has a new arrival hall. The recently operationalised East area is equipped with 22 escalators, 22 elevators, 2 travellators, 19 staircases, nine restrooms designed for men, nine restrooms tailored for women and two ablution restrooms, 24 remote bus domestic departure gates and arrival facilities, 12 passenger boarding aero bridges, contact stands, and a domestic-to-domestic transfer area, 18 new check-in counters have been added which brings the total check-in counters to 76, along with new 8 self-bag drop kiosks.
For international travellers, the pier has been extended with 14,012, sq m of post security check passenger seating along with advanced MARS aerobridges. The capacity of immigration counters has been increased to expedite security clearance, ensuring a swift and efficient experience. A new dedicated baggage reclaim area with specialised belts for international travellers has also been added.
Delhi International Airport too is prepared to handle the holiday rush. Delhi Airport has added more DigiYatra lanes for Terminal entry, increased check-in counters, has introduced self baggage drop facility, increased domestic security processing lanes, increased Immigration and Emigration counters, additional Terminal entry points and increased transfer processing capacity, Delhi GMR officials said.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
First Published: Dec 6, 2023 12:50 PM IST
