Over 10 international flights delayed at Chennai Airport amid heightened security checks
The heightened checks were triggered by repeated bomb threat hoaxes, compelling airport authorities to maintain strict, multi-layer security screening.
International flights delayed at Chennai Airport
CHENNAI: Multiple international flights from Chennai were delayed by 30 minutes to an hour on Wednesday morning as intensified, multi-layer security checks led to long queues and slow passenger processing at the airport.
The heightened checks were triggered by repeated bomb threat hoaxes, compelling airport authorities to maintain strict, multi-layer security screening. The increased scrutiny has led to long queues at security points and delayed departures, particularly for international flights, leaving many passengers distressed.
Following the recent car bomb explosion in Delhi’s Red Fort area, security has been heightened across the country. Chennai Airport has also been enforcing a stringent five-tier security system since that incident. Amid these measures, the airport has been receiving repeated bomb threat hoaxes, prompting authorities to tighten checks even further for outbound passengers.
As part of the heightened procedures, passengers are required to remove shoes, belts, jackets and winter clothing for scanning before boarding. Many travellers, however, are taking additional time to remove and re-wear these items, contributing to further delays. Additional checks are also being conducted at boarding gates, adding to overall processing time.
Due to these delays, several international flights departing early this morning were held up for 30 minutes to an hour. This includes flights to Lufthansa Airlines to Frankfurt in Germany, Emirates Airlines to Dubai, AirAsia Airlines to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore Airlines to Singapore, IndiGo Airlines to Doha, Thai Airlines to Thailand, Air Arabia Airlines to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airlines to Abu Dhabi, and Oman Airlines to Muscat. Passenger traffic was also higher than usual, worsening congestion at the security zones.
Passengers have urged the authorities to deploy additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at security checkpoints, especially those trained to manage high-pressure situations efficiently. Travellers also pointed out that communication slows down when most CISF officials speak only Hindi, causing confusion and delays for Tamil-speaking or English-speaking passengers.
They have requested that more Tamil or English-speaking personnel be posted at critical security points so that the checks can be carried out swiftly and smoothly.
