Remember a time, years ago, when passengers packed food from home to eat at the airport or in the aircraft?
From the looks of it, those times are back again.
Many of the people coming to Chennai airport are refraining from ordering food from the outlets in the security hold area, to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19, airport sources said. Instead, they choose to eat their home-made sandwiches or rotis, packed in aluminium foil.
Before the lockdown, during peak hours, it was near impossible to find a seat in in the security hold area of the airport. It was almost always full of people looking to grab a bite or a coffee before boarding the aircraft.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed that there has been a marked drop in the number of people eating at the food kiosks after domestic flights resumed on May 25. Besides, no meals are served on board aircraft too.
“The footfall in these outlets has come down quite a bit. Apart from several regular passengers who are either opting not to eat at the airport or are bringing their own snack, many first-time flyers aren’t aware that there are food options available at the airport,” an official said.
Adding to the airport outlets' woes is the marked reduction in the number of people using the domestic terminal - only 3,000-3,500 passengers a day for the 40-45 flights that fly in and out. Once the number of flights goes up, the footfall is expected to rise, officials said.
