Passengers visiting Chennai airport may continue to suffer from traffic congestion for the time being as the construction of the centre ramp remains incomplete.
At present, passengers use a ramp inside the airport complex to reach the entrances of the new domestic and international terminals from the main entrance.
As the construction of a centre ramp, which will branch away from the existing ramp, is yet to be completed there is an overlap of international and domestic passenger traffic, leading to congestion at the airport.
Vignesh Shankar, a frequent flyer who travelled from the airport on Monday, said, “I have observed that the vehicles get piled up especially at the entry and exit points of the ramp. Because of this congestion, we are unnecessarily forced to pay the parking charge as well. I face this problem especially around 5 a.m. when there is a lot of domestic and international traffic.”
Around 15,000 vehicles enter and exit the airport every day.
The booth system, which mandates that every vehicle must enter and exit the airport within seven minutes failing which they pay a parking fee depending on their vehicle size, puts passengers in a fix, said an official of Airports Authority of India (AAI).
“We hope to finish the construction of the centre ramp in two months. Once that is done, the traffic situation will definitely get better. Also, by October we may have the new booth system in place wherein the time limit for the entry and exit of vehicles may be extended to ten minutes for the convenience of passengers,” said another official.
But sources say it might be impossible to complete the construction of the centre ramp in two months.
