Work with DIAL to decongest IGI’s 1D terminal, aviation secretary tells AAI

NEW DELHI: The aviation ministry may soon come to the rescue of harried flyers at Delhi's hugely congested terminal 1D. Aviation secretary R N Choubey has asked Airports Authority of India chairman R K Srivastava to immediately work out an improvement plan with the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL).

The directive came after aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju took a round of the terminal on Monday morning. Raju was supposed to board a 9am IndiGo flight to Varanasi. He reached the terminal just after 7am and witnessed the peak hour chaos first-hand.

While only low-cost carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir operate from terminal 1D, there is massive congestion at the security check area and boarding gates at peak hours. Things have got so bad that even normally reticent airlines have started speaking up.

"Every morning there is massive congestion and passengers have to suffer. Airports should be managed in a way where there is more distribution of facilities so that passengers do not suffer," IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh said.

Airlines hope that with the minister witnessing peak-hour rush and secretary Choubey stepping in, DIAL will carry out some improvements immediately. A major grouse passengers have is the small exit to the boarding level from the terminal where buses line up to ferry them to aircrafts.

A DIAL official said there are plans to expand terminal 1D, but did not share details.

Raju was on his way to Varanasi to launch Air India Express' inaugural flight from there to the Gulf.

"Choubey was brought in to help speed things up at the aviation ministry. He is trying to end the virtual policy paralysis. With Choubey stepping in, we expect some improvements fast," said an airline official.