Chennai airport to undergo audit for better use of space

CHENNAI: Airports Authority of India (AAI) will soon take up a space audit at Chennai airport to assess better use of space to improve amenities for passengers at domestic and international terminals and also on the city side of the airport campus near GST Road.
Aprofessional consultancy firm will be appointed to carry out the audit of the space already allotted and space meant to be allotted to firms and also to recommend improvements for better use of space for retail stores, food and beverages shops and other amenities.
An official said the consultancy would help the authorities manage space better by factoring in social distancing norms because it is currently being done by people who do not have the expertise. The audit will also help the airport use the space that may be freed up in the coming months as airlines and other agencies have started discussing surrendering space to the AAI because after loss of business and massive job cuts they may not need the space being used by them inside the terminal.
After the loss suffered due to suspension of scheduled flights for four months, airlines, ground handling firms and other agencies are not able to pay the license fee charged by AAI for the space inside the terminal and the air side where planes are operated, said an airline official.
There have been complaints from users about the way space is being used inside the airport. The most recent being the criticism on the new routing given to vehicles that come into the airport to pick up and drop passengers.
The traffic flow into the airport and the car parking created so much of chaos initially and cars that come to the arrival terminals to pick up passengers continue to be misled and often take the pathway that leads to the car park.
Retailers had also raised the issue earlier when space was being allocated for shops inside the international terminal because many shops were not in sync with the passenger flow. In international hubs like Dubai and Singapore, retail and food and beverages shops were located along the path taken by passengers inside the terminal and often give an impression that they walk through a bustling commercial street at the heart of a city.
The airport may try to scale down some of the facilities as passenger patronage on international sectors is likely to be low for a long time and flight schedules are not likely to return to normal till November.