Covid: Delhi airport steps up facilities after flyers complain of chaos

A government source said the crowding at the immigration counter was one-off, spawned by the bunching of several flights and additional health procedures

2 min read Last Updated : Dec 07 2021 | 12:33 AM IST

Delhi airport is working with immigration authorities and expanding seating and testing facilities, following complaints by flyers of overcrowding in the arrivals area on Saturday.

Taking cognisance of crowd mismanagement at Delhi airport, the civil aviation ministry is monitoring the situation closely. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also held a meeting on Monday to review the arrangements after pictures of long wait times for testing and immigration at the airport on Saturday went viral.

Officials from the ministry, Airports Authority of India, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security are supervising the implementation of new procedures and additional testing counters, and money exchange booths. A government source said the crowding at the immigration counter was one-off, spawned by the bunching of several flights and additional health procedures. Extra manpower is being deputed to avoid a repeat of the situation, he said.

A spokesperson for Delhi airport said the GMR group-led Delhi International Airport (DIAL) operator is making continuous enhancements in infrastructure and processes to manage new screening norms for passengers arriving from at-risk countries.

Countries in Europe, including the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Israel have been placed in the “at-risk” category by the Union health ministry.

“The number of passengers pre-booking their tests on arrival has been going up with every passing day. In addition, more and more passengers are opting for the rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test over the regular reverse transcription-PCR. We have installed 120 rapid PCR test machines and provided for 20 dedicated counters for passengers who have pre-booked their tests. The tests are being completed quickly to minimise waiting time,” said Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, chief executive officer, DIAL.

He added that the airport is working closely with immigration authorities to facilitate swift movement of passengers.

“For those waiting for their test results, seating arrangements have been vastly expanded and food counters made available in the waiting area,” he added.