@ Chennai
More used to long queues and extensive frisking by security personnel, many flyers at the Chennai airport had a different experience. Rethin Kumar, who had reached the airport well ahead of time to fly to Thiruvananthapuram, said: “Usually there are huge lines to even enter inside. But on Monday, there was hardly anyone. While most people did online check-in which is mandatory, airport staff assisted those who could not do it. Also, there were cameras at boarding gates which clicked picture of everyone with boarding pass.”
What he felt most unusual was the frisking procedure. “Normally, frisking takes a good two minutes, but now it hardly takes seconds because they check only with metal detectors. It took only five minutes to reach the gate after completing all procedures,” he said.
Several flyers took to Twitter to ask authorities if e-passes were needed for people who landed in Chennai for a connecting flight. “Chennai is a layover station for many flights. Since we won’t move out of the airport, will we require an e-pass?,” doubted S Prithwish. Also, there were concerns about the indelible ink used for stamping seals on hands of passengers as many complained that it was not visible at all. “The indelible ink is more like a invisible ink,” said C Mugilan, a flyer.
41 flights scheduled
Airport authorities said a total of 41 flights, including both inbound and outbound, have been scheduled for Tuesday. They include services to Thoothukkudi, Tiruchy, Hyderabad, Bagdogra and Vijayawada.
Tiruchy suspense
It was a day of chaos in Tiruchy too. Authorities left 60 passengers in limbo by cancelling two scheduled Chennai flights. There was uncertainty over flights bound for Bengaluru as well, and passengers were forced to make several calls to airline offices to know the status of their flight. And adding to the confusion, officials themselves were unable to help. “I was planning to go to Hyderabad via Chennai on Monday. But I received a message from the airline at about 2am regarding the cancellation of Chennai flight. So I rescheduled my journey. However, they do not know if the Tuesday’s flight would also get cancelled,” said Sivakumar, a passenger.
Domestic flight operations also resumed at the Madurai airport on Monday, with flights from Bengaluru, Chennai, and New Delhi arriving and departing. Two flights from Chennai arrived and returned with passengers on board. Airport director S Senthil Valavan said passengers were allowed to board after a basic check-up.
Kovai uncertainty
R Mahalingam, Director of Coimbatore International Airport, told Express that out of six flights, four flights arrived - two from Chennai and one each from Bangalore and Delhi. However Hyderabad and Mumbai flights were cancelled.
(With inputs from Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchy)