India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Edelweiss
Mutual
Fund
MD
and
CEO
Radhika
Gupta
recently
shared
her
experience
of
chaos
at
Delhi’s
Indira
Gandhi
International
Airport
(IGIA)
on
social
media
platform
X,
formerly
known
as
Twitter.
She
described
being
stuck
in
a
long
security
queue,
only
making
it
to
her
flight
due
to
the
assistance
of
airline
staff.
Gupta
highlighted
the
severity
of
the
situation
by
quoting
an
airline
staff
member
who
mentioned
that
the
average
wait
time
at
security
was
256
minutes,
approximately
4.26
hours.
“I
saw
this
myself.
A
harrowed
(don’t
blame
him)
airline
staff
told
me
the
average
wait
time
at
security
was
256
minutes.
256
minutes,” she
wrote.
At
Delhi
Airport
Travellers
Share
Videos,
Pictures
Passengers
have
been
sharing
videos
and
pictures
on
X
since
last
evening,
showing
the
disarray
at
Terminal
3
of
Delhi
Airport.
The
increased
security
measures
ahead
of
Independence
Day
celebrations
have
led
to
serpentine
queues
and
confusion
among
travellers.
One
user
posted
a
video
highlighting
the
lack
of
resources,
stating
that
while
passenger
numbers
have
increased
daily,
resources
remain
unchanged.
This
has
resulted
in
people
waiting
two
to
three
hours
for
security
checks.
Another
user
expressed
dissatisfaction
with
the
airport’s
crowd
management
and
noted
a
lack
of
support
from
airport
staff.
Additionally,
some
passengers
pointed
out
that
the
Digi
Yatra
Office
was
not
functioning
properly,
causing
further
delays.
Delhi
Airport
Statement
The
Delhi
airport
issued
a
statement
on
X
addressing
the
concerns
raised
by
passengers.
It
assured
that
on-ground
officials
were
doing
their
best
to
minimise
inconvenience
and
were
working
closely
with
CISF
officials
for
a
smooth
travel
experience.
“Dear
Passenger,
We
understand
your
concern.
Please
be
assured
our
on-ground
officials
are
trying
their
best
to
minimize
any
inconvenience
caused
to
the
passengers
and
working
closely
with
CISF
officials
for
smooth
travelling
experience
at
Delhi
Airport,”
read
part
of
the
statement.
The
statement
also
mentioned
that
security
had
been
heightened
ahead
of
Independence
Day,
leading
to
longer
security
check
procedures.
“Further,
we
would
like
to
apprise
you
that
security
at
Delhi
Airport
has
been
stepped
up
ahead
of
Independence
Day
and
subsequently,
the
security
check
procedure
is
taking
more
time.
Any
inconvenience
caused
to
you
is
deeply
regretted,”
it
added.
Independence
Day
Preparations
India
is
set
to
celebrate
its
78th
Independence
Day
on
August
15.
Authorities
have
enhanced
security
arrangements
in
New
Delhi
based
on
intelligence
inputs,
adding
an
extra
layer
of
security
at
key
locations.
Notably,
Delhi
airport
was
ranked
among
the
top
10
busiest
airports
globally
for
2023.
According
to
ACI
data,
IGI
airport
handled
over
7.22
crore
flyers
in
2023,
securing
the
ninth
position
worldwide
in
2022.
Gupta
also
shared
another
passenger’s
complaint
about
the
situation
at
IGI
airport
T3
terminal
via
a
video
post
on
X:
“This
is
the
situation
at
the
security
check
counter
at
Delhi
IGI
airport
T3
terminal
right
now.
People
on
the
verge
of
missing
their
flights.”
The
chaos
reported
by
Gupta
and
other
travellers
underscores
significant
issues
with
crowd
management
and
resource
allocation
at
one
of
India’s
busiest
airports
during
peak
times.
