Chennai airport plaza ready but cab pick-up point delayed

Chennai Airport’s New Cab Pick-Up Point Delayed Until March

Chennai airport’s plaza, which will have the second cab pick-up point, is ready. However, air passengers will have to wait until early March to use it.

In 2023, work began to beautify the area opposite the T1 domestic terminal at Chennai airport. The project aimed to develop it as a plaza, with a deadline set for October 2024. The project faced many delays but has now been completed.

In July 2024, the cab boarding location changed from the flagpole point near the T1 domestic terminal to the multi-level car parking space. This change frustrated many air passengers.

Passengers often express their frustration on social media about the long process of taking a buggy, queuing for an elevator, and finally getting to their cabs.

To help with this issue, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) decided to create a second cab pick-up point at the plaza, where the flagpole point used to be. Although construction is complete, passengers must wait longer for the new pick-up point.

Sources at AAI stated they want to open the second cab pick-up point soon, but there is a delay.

“After starting this additional pick-up point, there should not be any revenue loss to the contractor. A committee reviewed this proposal and confirmed there would be no issues. The contractor was involved, and traffic patterns were planned to avoid revenue loss,” a source said.

Recently, the contract with the firm managing the multi-level car parking was terminated. “There is an ongoing arbitration regarding this issue. Before starting the second pick-up point, we are seeking legal advice to avoid complications. Since public money is involved and it is an important passenger service, we want to ensure no further inconvenience. We aim to complete this soon, and the pick-up point will open by early March,” the source added.

Karthik Kannan, a frequent flyer, shared his recent experience. “After landing, I got a buggy quickly, but I waited almost 15 minutes for the elevator. There were long queues for four lifts. Instead of waiting longer, I walked to the exit, and the driver brought the car out. By the time I exited the airport, it took another 15 minutes. It was an exhausting experience,” he said.