Air India has transferred its domestic operations to Terminal 3 at Delhi International Airport before it becomes fully functional at the end of the week. Kingfisher and Jet Airways however are claiming T3 is still not ready, with back offices still under construction, a claim the airport denies.
"Airlines have already moved into these offices and if there were problems they should have pointed it out earlier. The charges are baseless and we are absolutely ready with the terminal,'' said P S Nair, CEO, DIAL.
AI has also claimed that due to the size of the terminal for push back 15 minutes before departure, aircraft doors would have to be closed 20 minutes before departure, which requires earlier check-in times.
"At present, most airlines close check-in counters 40-45 minutes before departure. However, at the new terminal, the long walking distance mean that people with even a single piece of baggage would take a good while to reach boarding gates. We may start closing check-in a good hour before departure. Such issues need to be addressed immediately so that when over 10,000 passengers move to the terminal on Sunday, there is little scope for confusion,'' said an airline official to local media.