Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia emphasized the importance of planning commercial spaces at airports to ensure a smooth flow of passengers. He shared this principle of being ‘on the way’ and ‘not in the way’ during a media address in the national capital. The minister highlighted that public convenience is a top priority, and he is accountable to the public for airport-related matters.
When it comes to allocating space for business establishments and commercial lounges at airports, Minister Scindia stressed that it should only happen after identifying sufficient space for passenger processing and support services. Any proposal for additional commercial space must be evaluated based on the availability of space to meet the projected future growth in passenger traffic. The identified space for future traffic growth should be dedicated to its intended purposes and not diverted elsewhere.
The minister emphasized the importance of planning emergency evacuation routes and passenger movement corridors, taking into account minimum travel distance. This planning should consider spaces allocated for retail, duty-free, and food and beverage areas. The goal is to optimize the use of airport space while ensuring efficient passenger flow.
In response to a question about the comparison of airport facilities between India and European countries, Minister Scindia highlighted the positive developments in Indian airports. He mentioned improvements such as an increase in departure gates, passengers check-in gates, and the deployment of advanced screening machines. The minister also shared instances where VIP lounges and unnecessary retail spaces were removed to address congestion issues, citing the example of Delhi airport where the removal of a VIP lounge facilitated the placement of additional X-ray machines, significantly easing congestion.
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