CHENNAI: Passengers arriving at Chennai Airport continue to suffer due to the prolonged delay in the construction of the new passenger rest facility and pickup point facility developed near the arrival terminal.
The Airports Authority of India decided to establish a dedicated passenger relaxation and service zone named Flasha opposite Terminal 1 in the arrival area of Chennai Airport. The project was handed over to a private contractor in 2023, and officials initially announced that the facility would be completed and opened to passengers by October 2024.
The proposed lounge is expected to include several passenger-friendly amenities such as secure baggage storage rooms, seating areas, mobile charging points, snack and beverage counters, souvenir shops, and restrooms. Authorities also planned to create a pickup point adjacent to the lounge so that arriving passengers could avoid the lengthy walk and the climb to the multi-level parking structure.
International passengers arriving in Chennai usually spend long hours inside the airport to complete procedures. This includes lengthy queues at immigration counters and baggage collection from conveyor belts, a process that often takes more than an hour.
Even after exiting the terminal, passengers continue to struggle to reach the pickup point located at the multi-level car parking facility. Many are forced to wait for battery-operated vehicles to reach them. Due to long queues, several passengers choose to walk nearly one kilometre to the parking complex and then go up to the fourth floor, where the pickup point is located.
Passengers have repeatedly complained that such prolonged waiting and inconvenience are not commonly seen at other major international airports in India and that the situation is dire at Chennai Airport.
Passengers believed the facility would reduce the difficulties they currently face and improve the overall arrival experience at the airport.
However, despite the original completion target of October 2024, construction remains unfinished even in May 2026.
Airport officials had earlier said that the facility would likely become operational by late November or early December last year, and later indicated that it could open in January 2026. Yet the project has still not been completed.
Sources said that delays by the private contractor in completing the work within the timeframe are among the key reasons behind the prolonged construction.
Passengers have urged the Airports Authority of India to speed up the remaining work and bring the long-awaited Flasha passenger lounge into operation at the earliest, considering the thousands who use Chennai Airport daily.