Delhi airport to enforce rigorous social-distancing norms once passenger flights resume

The Delhi airport will ensure strict adherence to social-distancing norms once passenger flights resume, with deployment of additional queue-managers, extra check-in area seats and use of coloured-tape and markers to maintain queue-gap, its operator DIAL said on Friday. The GMR group-led DIAL said it will continue to regularly sanitize the "high-contact surfaces" like chairs, elevators; close washrooms for cleaning every hour, install auto-dispensing sanitizers and encourage passengers to use self-check-in facility.

India has been under a lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of novel coronavirus. Consequently, all passenger flights have been suspended for this period. To encourage compliance to social-distancing norms at the airport, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said it will deploy additional queue-managers at kerb side (city side), check-in halls, security check areas and boarding gates, with social-distancing markers.

"Signage in coloured tape have been placed at various stand points and staggered seating arrangement with different markers have been positioned on alternate chairs to maintain gap," the DIAL said in a statement. For the safety of passengers and staff, trolleys would be disinfected after each use, it stated. Additional seating arrangements will be made in check-in area for passengers near the check-in counters, security areas and near immigration points, it noted. Regular sanitization of high-contact surfaces, such as desks, chairs, elevators, railings, trolleys, handles, trays and baggage belts inside the terminals is being carried out even now and will continue when the airport reopens, the DIAL mentioned.

"Apart from these, washrooms will be closed after every hour to sanitize all its surfaces," it stated. The DIAL will install auto-dispensing santizers in the terminals and in order to avoid crowding at check-in counters, and encourage passengers to either check-in at home or use self-check-in facility at the airport. "The airport also plans to install UV (ultraviolet) machines to sanitize checked baggage," the operator said. The airport will also have facilities to isolate suspected COVID-19 passengers as per government directions, it stated.

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, DIAL, said, "DIAL is going to continue its awareness drive by educating and encouraging passengers to maintain social distancing while in the queue." "The Delhi airport is also conducting training and assessments of key service personnel, run checks on major facilities, and performing risk evaluations to prepare for resuming operations,? he added.