Chaos at Mumbai airport as heavy passenger rush brings movement to standstill

Visuals shared on Twitter showed thousands of passengers standing in long queues snaking all over the check-in area. (Twitter/Prakarsh Gagdani)

Scenes of chaos unfolded at Mumbai’s international airport on Friday morning as a heavy rush of passengers brought the airport to a standstill.

Visuals shared on Twitter showed thousands of passengers standing in long queues snaking all over the check-in area. Several passengers who missed their flights amid the chaos put the blame squarely on the airport authorities for its poor crowd management.

The heavy rush of passengers even prompted IndiGo Airlines to tweet out an advisory. “Heavy rush at #Mumbai and #Chennai Airport. Passengers are advised to report early to allow sufficient time for security check,” the low-cost carrier tweeted.

#6ETravelAdvisory: Heavy rush at #Mumbai and #Chennai Airport. Passengers are advised to report early to allow sufficient time for security check.

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) October 8, 2021

According to reports, the airport has deployed extra security personnel to handle the passenger rush, creating a bottleneck.

The surge of passengers is being attributed to the Navratri festival, which began on Thursday, reports citing airport sources said. With India’s active Covid-19 caseload waning over the past few months, many people took the opportunity to book trips during the festival season.

Bollywood singer and composer Vishal Dadlani was among those who got stuck at the airport during the chaos. “T2 AT CSMIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) is a shambles. Literally feels like we’re in the dark ages. Endless milling crowds, machines breaking down, tempers frayed, chaos everywhere. Staff doing their best but absolutely unable to cope. Who runs this absolute shitshow? Please tag them,” he tweeted.

T2 AT CSMIA (Mumbai Airport) is a shambles.

Literally feels like we’re in the dark ages. Endless milling crowds, machines breaking down, tempers frayed, chaos everywhere. Staff doing their best but absolutely unable to cope.

Who runs this absolute shitshow? Please tag them.

— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) October 8, 2021

Fintech company 5paisa.com CEO Prakarsh Gagdani also shared a picture of the chaos on Twitter, writing: “Mumbai Airport is a mess. It takes at least 1 hr to enter and do check-in and then this crowd for security check. How can someone board a flight even reaching 2 1/2 hrs before domestic flight. This is the real commercial capital of the country.”

Mumbai Airport is a mess. It takes atleast 1 hr to enter and do check-in and then this crowd for security check. How can someone board a flight even reaching 2 1/2 hrs before domestic flight. This is the real commercial capital of the country. pic.twitter.com/OII3s46GZh

— Prakarsh Gagdani (@PrakarshGagdani) October 8, 2021

Journalist Sheela Bhatt tweeted that the situation was similar at Terminal 3 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. However, there have been reports of any passengers missing their flights so far.