A drop-and-go facility was introduced by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) at the Srinagar International Airport on Saturday in the wake of long-standing grievances about delays and hassles for entry.

The state-of-art, environment-friendly e-carts facility was flagged off by AAI director, Srinagar Airport, Javed Anjum.

Officials said personal frisking and vehicle and baggage checking is a time-consuming process due to which passengers entering the airport were facing delays, they said.

At times, the passengers had to be advised to come to the airport four hours in advance to avoid missing their flights. However, despite such precautions, there were frequent complaints of passengers missing their flights, the officials said.

With the introduction of the complimentary drop-and-go facility at the entry of the airport, passengers can now leave their vehicles at the drop gate, which will reduce the time taken to reach the terminal from the drop gate by half Speaking to PTI, Anjum said four e-carts have been introduced and their number will be increased after assessing the passengers’ response to the facility.

"The passengers can leave their vehicles at the drop gate. They can directly put their baggage on X-ray scan and after the screening, they can board our e-carts stationed at the drop gate and reach the terminal. The service is free of cost," he said.

Around 50 per cent of passengers are likely to use this service.

"This is a good initiative by the administration. It will ease the movement of passengers. It must be appreciated," Bavishpal Nagar, a passenger, said.

Another passenger, Chandrakant, said it will reduce the time taken from the drop gate to the terminal building.

"This is a free service. It is a good facility for the passengers. It used to take half an hour to reach the terminal building, which now will take less time," he said.

"This facility will benefit the passengers. I want to thank the administration for this initiative, especially since the vehicles are electric," Raj Rishi Chopra, another passenger, said.

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