6 days ago
Small IndiGo flights to now depart from Chennai airport's Terminal 4
If one is to fly by IndiGo to places such as Salem and Vijayawada from Chennai on Sunday, they will have to depart from Domestic Terminal 4 (T4). But when their flight from these cities lands in Chennai, they will disembark at Domestic Terminal 1 (T1).
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), for nearly two months from June 1, the departure operations of ATR flights (small aircraft with 70-80 passenger capacity) of IndiGo (flight numbers 7000-7999) will be shifted to T4.
This means, passengers flying to destinations such as Salem, Thoothukudi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Madurai, Tiruchi, Mysuru, Kadapa, Kurnool, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, and Kannur via IndiGo's ATR flights must board at T4.
Arrivals still at T1
But passengers who arrive in these flights will still disembark at T1. When asked about the reason for the new arrangements, which would likely confuse flyers, officials said they had been made for the benefit of transit passengers.
'There are a significant number of passengers who arrive on these ATR flights and will have connecting flights by IndiGo to cities such as Delhi or Mumbai. For these, they will have to come to T1. IndiGo flies larger aircraft such as Code C, which are operated from T1, to these cities. To make it easy for such passengers, we have planned departures and arrivals at different terminals. As soon as the passengers arrive, they can complete the necessary security formalities and get ready for their next flight,' an official said.
So far, at Chennai airport, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air have been handling all departures and arrivals at T1, whereas Air India and Air India Express flights are being handled at T4. The recent changes are also to facilitate the strengthening of taxiway H.
Following the upgrade, the taxiway will be able to handle Code E flights (wide-body flights such as B787, with huge passenger capacity).
'Since we are closing four bays at T1, some of the Code C flights (such as A320) will have remote boarding, with passengers needing to take a shuttle bus. This could cause congestion at the bus lounge. So, we decided to transfer the ATR flights of IndiGo to T4 temporarily,' the official added.
Officials said that on Saturday, they would put up signage from the entry point all the way to T4.
'Passengers who are flying to these smaller airports must check their ticket and come to T4. We have been posting about this almost every day on social media. The airline has been asked to communicate the changes with the passengers,' he added.
