Summary:
The airport recorded a 6% increase in international passengers last year, much lower than the growth registered by Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Work is underway on minor modifications such as installing baggage conveyors to carry checked-in bags, boarding gates, check-in counters and bays for security checks to handle departures. CHENNAI: Passengers on international flights will be able to board aircraft from the ground floor of the international terminal in three months, with Airports Authority of India planning to open the unused international arrival hall for departures.“We will be able to start a few departures from the terminal in October,” A senior AAI official said. “This will help us handle more flights in the winter schedule.”Airlines like IndiGo have asked the airport officials if they can get slots to increase international flights by the end of the year.The ground floor of the building has been lying unused since 2013 due to lack of space to handle arrivals. AAI had received requests for new flights a few years ago, but could not fulfil them due to a space crunch at the terminals and lack of time slots for flights..