Steps planned to ease congestion at Chennai airport’s new terminal

Number of immigration counters and security checkpoints to be increased: AAI

International passengers travelling to or from Chennai airport often dread the waiting time since the procedures before boarding and after disembarking from flights are usually drawn out, owing to increased congestion.

But this may soon change for better since the new integrated terminal has been built to have more immigration counters and CISF security checkpoints.

Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the number of immigration counters would be increased from the current 12 to nearly 54 in the new terminal, which would mean that even if the passenger traffic spiked drastically, the crowd could be managed efficiently.

“Similarly, passengers have to wait for a long time to complete security procedures. While the present building has nearly 10 counters, the new one is built with 20, with some additional features, to speed up the process,” an official said.

But sources said building facilities alone will not be enough, and unless staff are hired to man the new counters, the congestion will continue. Officials at the airport have already highlighted that manpower shortage at the immigration desks. Though the influx of international passengers is lower than pre-COVID-19 times, it is expected to bounce back in the near future. The airport should be equipped to better handle traffic before that time comes, sources said.

Passengers heading to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) no longer have to take a RT-PCR test at the airport before boarding. But they must have tested negative 48 hours before the flight.