Passenger mixup troubles terminal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The shifting of domestic flights to the international terminal building on the Chakkai side is posing serious security concerns as international and domestic passengers get mixed up.

This has also led to complaints from domestic passengers, including some VIPs, that they were subjected to unnecessary checks by customs officials.

Airport sources said the customs and emigration officials have suggested that Airport Authority of India set up a separate, foolproof, path for domestic passengers to avoid chances of passengers on domestic and international flights reaching at a time.

While airport director George Tharakan maintained that a separate exit was provided for domestic passe-ngers, sources claimed only make-shift q-managers were there.

So far, five domestic services — four from  Air India and one from Jet Airways — have been shifted to the international terminal for operational convenience.

A domestic service of AI from Bangalore in the morning and a Jet Airways flight from Chennai in the even-ing often coincide with international services due to slight changes in schedules, leading to the mixing up of passengers.

Emigration officials had even issued memos to airlines a a few times on the issue. Some VIPs were subjected to the customs screening in the process and instances of heated arguments between customs officials and domestic passengers over this are quite frequent.

“The customs officials need not recognise all VIPs and they can’t be blamed for screening passengers coming along with international passengers,” sources said.

“Integration of dom-estic and international terminals should be done only after foolproof arrangements as it poses serious risks of smuggling. There were many incidents of international passengers handing over the contraband to the domestic passengers,” a customs official said.

Since the international terminal is closer to the city by about five kilometers than the domestic terminal on the Shanghumu-gham side, many are happy with the move.
But traders at Shanghumugham are up in arms against it.