Like Delhi, Like Mumbai: Why chaos at airports continues

The holiday season is here but it’s giving little reason for Indian travellers to be jolly. No longer wracked by the COVID-19 pandemic, people have made grand end-of-the-year plans. But airports, especially in Delhi and Mumbai, are playing spoilsport. What we saw at Terminal 3 of Delhi airport last week, is now unfolding at Mumbai’s Terminal 2. The queues are serpentine, immigration counters are overcrowded, and the wait is long. Also read: Trauma at T3: Why is Delhi airport facing overcrowding leading to flight delays? What is happening at Mumbai airport? The situation in Mumbai is not very different from Delhi. December is the busiest month for airports in India and with footfalls set to cross pre-pandemic levels, the commotion does not come as a surprise. Mumbai airport’s immigration counters witnessed overcrowding on early Tuesday morning, with passengers spending nearly three to four hours standing in queues. Many took to social media to express their anguish and share visuals as they waited their turn. A disgruntled passenger tweeted, “Absolute nightmare at Mumbai airport - 4 hour long immigration lines. Empty unmanned counters. Immigration officer #rashidsiddiqui says not my problem - lines can be 6 or 10 hours - nothing I can do. What a way to treat visitors. @CSMIA_Official.”

Absolute nightmare at Mumbai airport - 4 hour long immigration lines. Empty unmanned counters. Immigration officer #rashidsiddiqui says not my problem - lines can be 6 or 10 hours - nothing I can do. What a way to treat visitors. @CSMIA_Official @ndtv @aajtak @TimesNow pic.twitter.com/bLScZWvwpA

— Nymrata Advani (@nymadvani) December 20, 2022

  “Mumbai Airport a chaos this morning. Travelling internationally for a couple of years I had never seen such long queues and hold ups #ChhatrapatiShivajiInternationalAirport,” another one said.

Mumbai Airport a chaos this morning. Travelling internationally for a couple of years I had never seen such long queues and hold ups #ChhatrapatiShivajiInternationalAirport

— Apoorva Dumbre (@apoorvadumbre) December 21, 2022

Several flyers claimed that there were 24 to 30 open immigration counters. However, they were not manned properly to manage crowds and clearance took several hours. A passenger chipped in, “T2 Terminal Mumbai Int Airport Arrivals immigration had 24-30 counters in operation with the scanning issues on Monday night Tuesday morning. The passengers waited 3-4 hours to clear immigration then to collect abandoned baggage & clear customs. Why?”

Another asked, “Is it faster to install extra x-ray machines in Delhi security but impossible to ensure all immigration counters are manned at Mumbai airport? You’ve got the counters but not enough officers?”

Is it faster to install extra x-ray machines in Delhi security but impossible to ensure all immigration counters are manned at Mumbai airport ? You’ve got the counters but not enough officers ?

— Incognito (@AcolyteAcolyte) December 20, 2022

There was also chaos at international arrivals. All passengers have to go through a biometric identification system. However, some of the scanners were generating errors, forcing them to re-scan several times, according to a report in Hindustan Times. Also read: Civil aviation ministry directs airlines to deploy more staff at airports to sort out rush-hour congestion What are airport officials saying? Mumbai airport authorities admitted that because of the onset of the festive season, the airport is witnessing a surge in passenger volume and it is “expected to rise further in the coming weeks”. Issuing an advisory, airport officials requested passengers to allocate additional time for travel-related formalities and mandatory security protocols. “Passengers travelling internationally are advised to reach the airport at least 3.5 hours prior to their scheduled flight. Travellers taking domestic flights are requested to reach the designated Terminal at least 2.5 hours in advance,” a passenger advisory issued by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport said.

Due to the onset of the festive season, #MumbaiAirport is expecting a surge in passenger volume. We request all our passengers to allocate additional time for travel related formalities and mandatory security protocols.#GatewayToGoodnes #PassengerAdvisory #Airport pic.twitter.com/nvAmsI6XVm

— Mumbai Airport (@CSMIA_Official) December 7, 2022

  Airport authorities are doing all they can to avoid overcrowding. The queues are so long that several passengers at immigration counters are being diverted to diplomat counters. Following the footsteps of Delhi airport, authorities in Mumbai have started sharing the expected waiting time on social media.

Update at 00:01 hrs: pic.twitter.com/HJDKpgMnhV

— Mumbai Airport (@CSMIA_Official) December 20, 2022

Why such chaos? December, being a holiday season, generally witnesses a huge surge in domestic as well as international flyer volumes. After two long years of restricted travel because of the pandemic, there is an increase in the volume of international flyers visiting India. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Mumbai airport recorded its highest passenger footfall in a single day on 10 December at 150,988. The domestic passenger volume has increased by 26 per cent, while the international passenger volume has increased by 140 per cent compared to the same day last year. There has been a rise in the number of travellers flying overseas – an increase of 137 per cent compared to 2021. According to data from the Bureau of Immigration, more than 1.8 crore Indians travelled outside the country until November 2022, compared to 77.2 lakh in all of 2021. Also read: After days of chaos Delhi airport now assures happy journeys What is the government saying? In Delhi, the situation was so bad last week that Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made a surprise visit to take stock of the situation. At Delhi airport, the ministry is taking various steps, including the opening of two additional entry gates for passengers and deployment of additional CISF manpower. Air travellers are encouraged to use DigiYatra, the biometric-enabled seamless travel experience based on Facial Recognition Technology, and airlines have been advised to have “full compliance to barcode on tickets issued to help easy flow of passengers at entry/security gates”, Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh has said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.