Chennai: Passengers arriving at Chennai airport’s domestic Terminal 1 can now walk out of Gate A2 and board their pre-booked cabs at a new pickup point right outside the terminal, instead of taking a buggy to the multi-level car park (MLCP). On its first day on Sunday, however, many passengers were unaware of the new facility due to lack of signage and people on ground.The new facility marks the end of a 26-month wait for passengers to access cabs directly from Terminal 1. Earlier, passengers had to wait for a buggy and travel nearly a kilometre to the MLCP to board their cabs. Union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu virtually inaugurated the cab pickup plaza and the adjoining pickup point on Sunday.Though ground staff were available, many flyers appeared unsure at the terminal. Meanwhile, a few passengers watched others get into cabs and followed suit, finding out about the new pickup arrangement in the process.Around 5.30pm, K Sumesh and his family walked out of Gate A2, crossed the kerbside road and boarded their pre-booked cab after seeing others do so. “We were not aware of this facility. There should be more signage about this new facility. Earlier, this was a hectic process. No other airport was as torturous as Chennai. The buggies used to come quickly, but the wait for the elevator at the MLCP was tiring,” explained Sumesh.The cab pick-up point was shifted to the newly constructed multi-level car parking lot on July 29, 2024, forcing passengers to walk or use buggies to access the parking premises to board cabs. After relentless criticism, AAI decided to reopen the pick-up point near T1 and after prolonged delays, the plaza finally saw the light of day on Sunday.Some passengers welcomed the move, but said a few minor tweaks could further improve the experience. “A lot of vehicles remain parked in front of the A2 gate, and they should be regulated. Passengers boarding private vehicles at the kerbside could also be allowed to exit through the A3 gate, so that these vehicles do not remain parked in front of A2 and hinder passenger movement,” said Pradeep Krishnan, a passenger who arrived in Chennai from Trichy.Chennai airport director M Raja Kishore said that at least 50% of passengers arriving at T1 terminal use cabs, and the plaza will make their experience better. AAI has made A2 Gate, located right in front of the Plaza entry, the main exit gate instead of A3 Gate to make it easier to spot the plaza and reach pickup point. Apart from stairs, there are ramps on both side for push trolleys.The two vehicle pick-up bays have been further divided into seven segments with dedicated points for each cab aggregator. The first lane has been allotted to Ola, Uber and Fastrack, while the second bay has been allotted to prepaid taxis, Rapido, WTi cabs and Redtaxi. The respective aggregators have set up kiosks at the plaza to help passengers book cabs.To reach the plaza, cabs can enter only at Meenambakkam end and should go around the Aerohub mall. Similarly, to exit the airport, two different bays have been set up – one for personal vehicles and another for cabs. “Personal vehicles are charged only at the exit, whereas fixed charges are collected from cabs. With a dedicated lane, cabs can exit faster,” said an official. Also, buggies are operated from T4 to T1 via T2, as well as to the multi-level car parking lot, where they can continue to board cabs.
