Long queues at entry, baggage scan points irk air passengers

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, February 24

Passengers witnessed long queues at the baggage scan section as half of the counters were closed due to the ongoing work of upgrading the X-ray machines at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport. As a result, long queues were seen at every step, including entry gate, baggage check, checking in, immigration and security check at the airport.

Besides, the number of passengers has also increased with farmers blocking roads leading to Delhi. A large number of passengers who planned to take international flight from Delhi are now reaching the Amritsar airport to take a flight for Delhi or other international destinations.

In view of heavy traffic at the airport these days, activists of a local NGO, Fly Amritsar Initiative, working for betterment of the Amritsar airport, advised passengers to reach the airport three to four hours in advance for international flights.

Yogesh Kamra from Fly Amritsar Initiative said, “The airport authorities are installing the inline X-ray inspection system at the airport. The civil work is underway and half of the X-ray counters are not functioning. It is possible that the passengers have to wait for their turn on entry gate, baggage check, checking in and immigration and the whole process takes time. Passengers can sit back and wait for flight after completing the required airport procedures such as baggage X-Ray scan, airline check in, immigration check out, security check and frisking. So, we advise passengers to reach the airport at least four hours before an international flight.”

Sameep Singh Gumtala, convener of the FlyAmritsar Initiative, said, “The number of passengers has also increased due to closure of roads leading to Delhi. On our request, the number of flights for Delhi are increased by airlines, but passengers need at least three hours for international flights. The airlines and all airport procedures demands four hours for international flight, so it’s better not to complain as comparing service levels with other foreign airports does not help much. We also requested the airport authorities to enhance the resources and services.”

It is worth mentioning here that for those travelling on domestic flights operating within India, they do not have to get their documents checked at the time of immigration and check-in, so they may take a little less time.