A surge in travel that overwhelmed the country’s busiest airport this week as the holiday season sets in has eased after authorities added staff and security equipment to cope with the surge in travellers.

Passengers queued for hours to pass through check-in and security at the main domestic and international terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, leading to some flight delays. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said more X-ray machines and staff were added to Terminal 3.

A video on Thursday (Dec 15) showed passengers checking-in smoothly at the airport. He said additional measures were also being taken at other airports, including those in the western city of Mumbai and Bengaluru in the south.

“In the last 24 to 36 hours, all agencies have swung into action to mitigate congestion at every checkpoint at all major airports. Congestion at entry points and check-in counters at T3 has eased,” Scindia said in a post on LinkedIn.

Indian infrastructure conglomerate GMR Group, which leads a conglomerate that owns and operates the airport, did not respond to a request for comment.

Parliamentary panel DIAL over crowding

Members of a Parliamentary panel on Thursday questioned officials of Delhi airport operator DIAL about congestion at the airport and they assured the committee that the issues will be resolved by the end of this month.

The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture chaired by YSR Congress Party leader Vijayasai Reddy was briefed by representatives of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) about various issues, including congestion, at the airport, according to sources.

The meeting was attended by DIAL Deputy MD K Narayanarao and others. "We are working with the government (to deal with congestion). We have been increasing the number of screening machines at the airport. Everything will be resolved by the end of this month," Rao told reporters after the meeting with the panel.

He also said there was no conflict between private security guards and CISF personnel. The civil aviation ministry and other stakeholders have taken various measures to deal with the situation.

-B