Thermal screenings, online duty free shopping, early check-in and light packing may become the new norm
Indian airports are preparing to resume business in a scenario where they know business will be unusual. While counting their losses and strategising on how to protect revenue, India’s major private airports and state-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI) are ramping up sanitisation. They are also implementing procedures to comply with social distancing measures which will become a norm when air travel resumes in a controlled manner after lockdown.
Airports expect passenger footfall to drastically reduce fr the entire year. This will harm the revenue of airports and the vast retail ecosystem that serves their customers at airports.
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But fewer footfalls will make it easier to prevent crowding in the immediate days after travel begins. The Airport Council International (ACI) a group of world’s largest airport estimates that due to the pandemic, footfall to reduce by 40 percent in 2020 at Asian airports.
“Several airports have already started marking various contact points for making zones for social distancing,” AAI Chairman Arvind Singh said.
Delhi Airport, India’s largest in terms of passenger capacity, said it has deployed a team of 500 professionals to carry out frequent disinfection every hour. There will be additional queue managers at entry, exit, boarding point, check-in halls, security check areas and boarding gates, with social distancing markers and reminders.
Source: Business Standard
