Single-gate entry of passengers at peak hours leads to chaos at Amritsar airport
Air passengers at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on Tuesday had to face inconvenience as they were made to stand in a long queue for 30 minutes to over 2 hours just to enter the terminal during the peak hours. With only one entry gate open for passengers and proper queue management missing, this resulted in some passengers missing their flights. This prompted some local activists to write to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) headquarters to intervene in the matter.
A recently viral video of the entry gate at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport highlighted the daily struggle of passengers, in which hundreds of passengers were seen standing in queues to enter the airport terminal.
Sameep Singh Gumtala, an office-bearer of FlyAmritsar Initiative, said, “Despite multiple requests by FlyAmritsar Initiative and the Amritsar Vikas Manch urging the Airports Authority of India to open multiple departure gates just like at other airports, no action has been taken. When similar issues arise at the Delhi airport and other major airports, swift action is taken to address the situation. Even digital entry is being introduced to ease congestion. But we do not know why Amritsar is being ignored. We urge the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India and the CISF to immediately implement multiple entry gates to resolve this long-standing issue and improve passenger experience at the Amritsar airport. This was done in the past during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yogesh Kamara, another activist, said, “Sad state of affairs at the Amritsar airport. Passengers witness total chaos at the entry gate during the peak hours. One entry gate to the terminal during peak hour check-in with over 800 passengers, parking mafia, leaking building during the rains, inoperative inline X-ray baggage system are some of the major issues being faced by the flyers.”
