25-05-2025
Free Wi-Fi coupon kiosks for international passengers at Chennai airport from June-end
From the end of June, international air passengers with non-Indian SIM cards arriving at Chennai airport will finally be able to access free internet.
This is a crucial facility especially for those arriving at the city airport, as many passengers need to book a cab service to reach their destination or make emergency calls.
Officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said they have awarded the contract for work recently and in the next few weeks, kiosks will be installed in the departure and arrival halls of the T2 International Terminal of the airport.
'Arche Global and BSNL have received the contract for providing this facility. Once the passenger scans the boarding pass and his passport, the kiosk will dispense a small coupon containing the One Time Password (OTP) with which he can use the free Wi-Fi. At present, they are unable to access free internet since those who don't have the Indian sim cards are unable to get the OTP without KYC verification,' an official said.
Officials said, initially, there will be two kiosks each in the departure and arrival hall. Passengers will be able to use 500 MB of data for 45 minutes. 'If a need arises, then we will certainly consider increasing the number of kiosks based on the demand,' he added.
This request has been consistently placed by international air passengers on 'X' and the difficulties they have been facing without access to free Wi-Fi for a long time now.
Sathish G, one of the frequent flyers, said, 'In each international flight, there will be a significant number of passengers including tourists who will require free Wi-Fi It is a welcome move that this initiative will take off in a month. But the authorities need to ensure that there aren't long queues to avail this facility. As such, international passengers are exhausted after the long travel, immigration check and baggage collection. AAI should have about 5-6 kiosks in both departure and arrival halls.'
When the facility becomes operational, AAI should put up signage too in key locations of the terminal, so that passengers are aware of this facility, he added.
