Delhi International Airport has seen major congestion over the past few days. With December being the peak season for travelling, people are rushing to the airport to catch their flights only to face extreme delays. Many people have even missed their flights because of this congestion! How to manage all this confusion and successfully catch your flight? Simply follow these smart travel tips when travelling through Terminal 3 and you can get past through airport traffic!
Indira Gandhi International Airport has three terminals – Terminal 1 (T1), Terminal 2 (T2) and Terminal 3 (T3). It has three parallel runaways. Terminal 3 is the only airport in Delhi that is managing international flights. Air India, IndiGo, Air Asia, SpiceJet, GoFirst and Vistara also have their domestic flights operating through T3. With so many flights coming and going through this airport, it is known to be one of the busiest airports in India when it comes to passenger traffic.
With the holiday season going on, everybody is travelling across the country or abroad to either go for a vacation or go back home to their family. Travellers are rushing to the airport to catch flights, only to meet great delays and long queues. The news was buzzing with complaints about the congestion on IGI T3, with travellers making pleas to improve the situation.
Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made a surprise visit to the Delhi airport to check what is causing the massive delays and he created a plan of action to implement immediate changes to handle this increase in traffic. The initiatives outlined were:
“Plans for peak-hour capacity-based on passenger processing capacity at each major airport”
“Landing cards to be distributed on board and filled up before arrival, to minimise queues at immigration counters”
“X-ray capacity for baggage to be assessed.”
“Capacity augmentation of security manpower and hand baggage screening”
“Longer-term technology-related upgrades for security and baggage drop off processing”
Held a detailed discussion with heads of all major Indian airports, @CISFHQrs & Immigration officials on capacities deployed & those required at every point to process domestic & international passengers smoothly through the peak travel season.
1/3 pic.twitter.com/LsszH41Dse
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) December 7, 2022
While things have improved in Terminal 3, airports will be seeing high traffic over the holiday period. According to Indian Express, the airports may remain jam-packed till January. Over the last 10 days, the country has observed over 4,00,000 daily domestic passengers with December 11 reaching the peak of 4,28,000. These kinds of numbers were witnessed only before the pandemic, with the earlier peak being 4,20,000 passengers.
DIAL’s “Smart Travel Tips” to avoid congestion at Delhi airport:
Terminal 3 is managed by DIAL that is Delhi International Airport Limited, a joint venture formed as a consortium between GMR Group, Airport Authority of India, Fraport AG and Eraman Malaysia. DIAL has taken a series of steps to help passengers pass through the airport without having to wait in long queues.
Waiting time at entry gates
Through their Twitter handle, DIAL has been updating people with estimated waiting times at all the entry gates of the International Airport. This will help passengers enter from the gate with the shortest line, allowing them to enter the airport quickly. They keep sharing updates every hour. Keep an eye out on that.
Terminal 3 Update at 10:04 hours
Smooth terminal entry can be seen at the gates with an average waiting time of 0-5 mins.
Smart Travel Tip: Passengers should use #DigiYatra app for faster and hasslefree travelling. pic.twitter.com/lC5aYlHhN4— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 14, 2022
Digi-Yatra
DIAL is also encouraging travellers to download Digi-Yatra and use it at the airport. Inaugurated in December 2022, this app has been created to replace the boarding pass with face recognition at the airport. Once you are registered on Digi-Yatra, you don’t need to get your passport/identity card and boarding pass checked again and again. Just scan your face at the airport and seamlessly pass through the security and boarding gate. Passengers are reporting that the use of Digi-Yatra has helped them pass through airport congestion easily.
So my #Digiyatra experience so far: 9/10. Once a few UI issues and kinks are worked out, it will be a huge boon for travellers. Thread below. @MoCA_GoI @JM_Scindia https://t.co/R8jR2I8CO7
— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) December 11, 2022
One-hand baggage policy
Security check has huge lines, with passengers lining up in long queues to pass their bags through the scanner. DIAL is also reiterating passengers carry only one handbag per person so that the bags can be quickly checked through the scanner and you don’t have to wait for it once you have cleared security. This policy doesn’t include ladies’ purses, laptop bags, infant’s bags, umbrellas/walking sticks and coats.
Travel advisory by Airlines for Delhi Airport:
- Major airline carriers like IndiGo and Air India have issued travel advisories for passengers, asking them to reach at least 3.5 hours before the domestic flights.
- Air India has also asked travellers to arrive four hours before departure for international flights.
- IndiGo is asking passengers to enter from gate five and gate six to directly reach the IndiGo check-in counters.
- SpiceJet is asking its passengers to come early and carry only one hand baggage weighing under seven kilograms. They are also recommending passengers complete their web check-in before reaching the airport.
Peak travel hours at Delhi Airport :
T3 witnesses peak hours from 5 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 8 pm, with a huge number of flights landing and taking off during these hours. Action plans have been drawn up to divert the peak hour flights to T1 and T2 or to non-peak hours at T3 itself. If your flight is booked during these hours, then make sure to check your flight details a day before, in case the timing or the terminal has been changed.
Travel tips to avoid congestion at Delhi Airport:
Arrive at least 3.5 hours before your departure time
Give yourself enough time at the airport to check in, clear security and reach the boarding gate. With crazy lines at every checkpoint at the airport, arriving early will make sure you clear through all the airport formalities just in time to catch your flight.
Register yourself on the Digi-Yatra app
The airport’s entry gates have extremely long lines, delaying passengers and preventing them from entering the airport even after reaching on time. Rather than waiting in the queue to get your boarding pass and identity card checked, register yourself to the Digi-Yatra app so that you can simply scan your face on the e-gates to gain entry. You can clear through check-in, security and even the boarding gates by registering through Digi-Yatra.
Complete web check-in before coming to the airport
If you don’t have any luggage to check-in, then simply complete your check-in online and skip this queue entirely! By doing the web check-in, you can directly head to the security gates. Even if you do have luggage, you can stand in the baggage drop line and quickly pass through this stage.
Carry only one cabin bag
Even after entering the airport and completing the check-in, it is the security that has long queues. Carrying only one cabin bag will let you pass through it quickly as you won’t have to wait a long time for your bag to clear through the scanners.
Avoid travelling during the peak hours
If there are fewer flights at the time you arrive at the airport, you will see a less crowded airport in comparison to the airport during peak hours. You can breeze through check-in, and security and easily board your flight without worrying about missing it.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Yes, Delhi has Indira Gandhi International Airport and Safdarjung Airport.
Answer: Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 is 1.2 kilometres
Answer: Terminal 3 has domestic and international flights.
Answer: The Airport Express Line has the IGI Airport Delhi Metro Station.
Answer: They are the three terminals at Delhi Airport.
Priyaja took her love for reading to the next level by majoring in English and minoring in Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College For Women (DU). She is extremely curious about the world and wishes to visit all the countries once in her life. She identifies as a foodie and loves to spend her free time exploring different cuisine and curating new dishes. As a former Food Writer at NDTV, she can help you find the best places to eat in Delhi!
