India: Ministry asks airlines to deploy sufficient manpower for smooth flow of passengers
Ministry also requested them to place real time data on their social media feeds
New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday wrote to the airlines to ensure deployment of sufficient manpower at all check-in and baggage drop counters well in advance to ensure smooth flow of passengers.
The Ministry also requested them to place real time data on their social media feeds regarding waiting time at respective airports’ entry gates.
“It has come to the notice of the Ministry of Civil Aviation that the airline check-in counters at certain airports are found unmanned or inadequately manned during early morning hours, leading to congestion at the airports, thereby causing inconvenience to the passengers,” said the letter issued by the Ministry on Tuesday.
An elaborate action plan was drawn up on Monday as remedial measures to deal with congestion and chaos at Delhi airports following the surprise visit of the Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, amid complaints of chaos and crowd mismanagement at airports.
The action plan includes digital display boards at the entry gates showing wait time at each gate and one least wait time board at the terminal checkpoint. A command centre will monitor crowding at the gates real-time and crowd managers and usherers will guide travellers.
The action plan also included an analysis of the manpower requirements at immigration counters and it will be undertaken immediately, and if need be, additional manpower will be deployed.
Mumbai airport hit
After notching record post-pandemic air passengers movement, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is witnessing a massive overcrowding of fliers with the swank terminal resembling a chaotic Mumbai railway station during peak hours.
Passengers posted alarming videos of the sea of humanity at the airport, with many irate fliers breaching security norms to rush past barricades or security and baggage check-ins, even as the harried CISF and Mumbai Police personnel tried to grapple the situation.
Videos showed huge crowds at CSMIA-T2 with passengers wearily awaiting their turn to complete the check-in procedures as the crowds continued to increase outside and inside.
The besieged CSMIA has said that it is working on the issue but due to the sudden passenger surge, they are being prioritised as per departure timings.
An official spokesperson listed out several initiatives like augmenting manpower resources with the inclusion of Passenger Service Executive along with infrastructural facilities inside and outside the airport, a digital passenger flow and queue monitoring system in the Security Processing Zone, teams and extra staff at pre-security checks, duty managers present at the security counters to manage queues and prioritize senior citizens or passengers with child in arms, similar initiatives to manage queues at Immigration and Customs, immigration halls to guide the passengers to the designated counters, staffers at self-baggage drop kiosks, etc.