How to beat congestion at Delhi's T3 airport - A 10-point guide

Delhi Airport T3 congestion today news - The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has prepared a pool of more than 100 personnel to man additional security counters expected to be handed over to it for easing the ongoing congestion at large airports of Delhi and Mumbai.

Delhi Airport T3 congestion today news - Measures to control surging crowd

1) CISF has brought on board more than 100 personnel over and above its sanctioned strength. 

2) After a recent review of passenger facilities by Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, few more security counters have been opened.

3)  Passenger check-in and boarding from Terminals 3, 1 and 2 has been streamlined.

4) The private security guards have been deployed to undertake non-core duties like helping passengers to line up, crowd management and bar code scanning of boarding passes.

5) The leaves of the personnel posted at large airports have also been rationalised

6) The maximum strength of airport staff will be on duty over the next fortnight.

7) The civil aviation ministry asked airlines to deploy adequate manpower at all check-in and baggage drop counters

8) Authorities have asked the airlines to place real-time data on their social media feed regarding waiting time at respective airports' entry gates.

9) Crowd managers will guide travellers.

10) Airlines will be notified about the crowd numbers so that check-in points can be made congestion-free.

11) The number of flights during 5 am to 9 am will be reduced.

12) It is also being explored to move some flights to T1 and T2 or to non-peak hours at T3. The peak hours are from 5 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

13) At T3 domestic, additional ATRS (Automatic Tray Retrieval System) machines for baggage check were deployed to help reduce the congestion. Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were 13 ATRS machines installed on the ground -- 11 for passengers + 2 for crew and specially-abled. This number has been increased to 16 (10 ATRS + 6 conventional X-ray machines) in the last few days. This will be increased further to 17 soon, and subsequently to 20.

14) All airlines will be required to keep their counters completely manned, especially during peak hours.

15) Digital display boards showing waiting time at each entry gate and at least one waiting time board at the terminal checkpoint will be put in place.

Delhi Airport T3 congestion today news - Your guide to avoid rush 

1) Reach early at the airport to avoid hassle-free travel. 

2) Do web check-in

3) Travel with only one hand baggage as your cabin luggage for a smoother security check experience.

4) Air India has advised passengers to reach Delhi airport at least 3.5 hours prior to departure of domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights.

5) Vistara is asking its passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to domestic as well as international flights.

6) Air travellers must enrol in the DigiYatra app. The saved data will then be used to automatically process passenger information at the airport during check-in, security screening, and aircraft boarding. 

7) Confirm with your airlines before arriving at airport. Several times flight gets delayed or rescheduled, therefore, it is advisable to call the airline or your travel agent to confirm your bookings.

8) Take specific gates as people generally tend to enter the airport through gates closer to the drop off zone. Reach the right terminal/ gate.

9) Prefer lounges in case your flight is rescheduled.

10) Keep important documents like boarding pass, passport and identification card handy so you don’t have to search for it at the checking counter. 

Terminal 3 Update at 22:50 hours

Smart Travel Tip: Smooth passengers movement observed at all terminal entry gates with an average waiting time of 0-5 minutes. Travel with only one hand baggage as your cabin luggage for a smoother security check experience. pic.twitter.com/V5M4D1KOu1

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 13, 2022

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Delhi Airport T3 congestion today news - CISF increases personnel on duty 

About 4,500 personnel are deployed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. CISF has brought on board more than 100 personnel over and above its sanctioned strength. This move will continue till the upcoming holiday season due to Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The central paramilitary, designated as the national aviation security force, has informed airport operators, airlines and the Union civil aviation ministry that while it can bring on board some more security personnel there can be "no compromise on security protocols and standard operating procedures followed by it for regular frisking of passengers and scanning of cabin baggage apart from fliers required to undergo extensive search due to specific profiling."

The CISF currently guards 65 civil airport terminals on the country through its special unit called the aviation security group (ASG) and its core task is to provide an anti-hijack and anti-terrorist cover to these facilities.

Delhi Airport T3 congestion - What's the reason behind unusual chaos?

Delhi airport is experiencing high footfalls and the check-in and boarding time is longer than usual due to Christmas and New Year celebrations. Over the last two weeks, passengers have been posting pictures and videos of long queues and crowds at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi prompting authorities to take note and subsequently asking airlines and airport operators to take required measures for easing the traffic.

Domestic air traffic is on the rise and airlines carried more than 4.18 lakh people on December 12. 

Delhi Airport T3 congestion today news - Parliamentary Standing Committee to discuss matter

The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture will be holding a meeting with DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar where the issue of congestion will also be discussed on December 15. The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) is the operator of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital.

Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi

IGIA has three terminals -- T1, T2 and T3. All international flights and some domestic services operate from T3. On an average, IGIA handles around 1.90 lakh passengers and about 1,200 flights daily.

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