Passengers dropped at wrong terminal on Delhi Airport ; Driver suspended

In a shocking incident that took place recently wherein a certain group of passengers arriving on an Air India international flight were mistakenly transported to the domestic area of Terminal 3 at Delhi Airport. 

Upon realizing this error, some travelers promptly informed the security and airline staff. Consequently, AI’s ground handling agency, AISATS, swiftly approached all individuals who had disembarked from the coach in order to escort them to the international section of T3.

AI has firmly addressed this matter with AISATS, the ground handling service provider for the Maharaja in Delhi, and as a result, the coach driver responsible for the error has been suspended.

According to sources, an AI Dubai-Delhi flight on November 30th did not receive an aerobridge gate upon arrival. Instead, passengers were transported to the terminal by coaches. One of the coaches mistakenly dropped off passengers at the domestic side of T3, while the other coaches went to the correct side of T3.

A passenger expressed his concerns on Twitter, tagging Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and others. He highlighted a significant security lapse by Air India, as many passengers, including himself, were dropped off at the domestic arrival gate instead of the international arrivals. This resulted in some passengers exiting without undergoing immigration checks, raising questions about who went or was allowed to do so.

The airlines and security were made aware of this situation, otherwise it would have gone unnoticed and more people would have ended up exiting. We were left stranded for nearly an hour, while both the security and airline staff were unsure of what steps to take next. It was a truly disappointing experience. To make matters worse, one of the guards even mentioned, “this didn’t happen for the first time.” Isn’t this a significant security breach, allowing someone to leave without undergoing any immigration checks?… Is there a way to rectify this issue and what measures can be taken to prevent such incidents in the future? Your immediate attention is required.

According to an AI representative, a group of passengers from AI916, who were traveling from Dubai to Delhi, were mistakenly taken to the domestic terminal by one of the coach drivers responsible for transporting them to the correct terminal. Once this error was discovered, Air India staff promptly intervened and, in collaboration with airport security, escorted the passengers back to the International arrival hall to complete the required exit procedures. The coach driver has been suspended, and a warning has been issued to the ground handling agency.