Over 90% Morning Flights Delayed As Weekend Rush Clogs Mum Airport

Mumbai: Over 90% domestic departures from Mumbai airport on Friday morning were delayed and many missed their flights due to long queues at the security points. The airport was overwhelmed by the weekend rush of passengers who jostled and struggled to reach their boarding gates on time.

Social distancing was forgotten as passengers packed in thick at the security gates. Airport officials attributed the crowding to weekend rush, onset of festive season, and heightened security following intelligence alerts of threat at another airport in the state.’’ In preparation for next weekend, MIAL brought forward the reopening of terminal-1 in Vile Parle to October 13. The airport will also ask airlines to allow passengers to check in their cabin luggage to avoid delays at security handling.

Said an airline source: “Weekend passengers flying out of Mumbai should reach the terminal building a minimum of two hours before departure. Even then, if they have check-in bags to deposit, they will struggle to reach the boarding gate on time.”