In wake of the rising air and passenger traffic riding on the World Cup frenzy, Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport is all geared up to provide a seamless service to travellers in and out of the city.
Anticipating a rush of passengers returning from vacation, and the World Cup cricket final on November 19, the airport issued an advisory asking passengers to report early for their flights.
“We request all our passengers travelling through the SVPI airport to allocate additional time for travel-related formalities and mandatory security protocols,” it said.
“All the teams in the terminal and landside are kept on stand-by with dynamic resource allocation based on passenger load to ensure smooth transit through the airport,” an airport spokesperson said.
The city airport operator also announced that the airspace will remain closed for 45 minutes on Sunday between 1.25pm and 2.10pm, for the air display by the Indian Air Force. “Passengers have been notified about the closure,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Heavy charter movement is also expected from Saturday to Monday. Therefore, the city airport has 15 stands readily available for night parking during the event. “Out of the 15, six are for business jet aircraft operations.”
The airport operator has also prepared an SOP for non-standard parking of aircraft in case demand for night parking exceeds the availability of stands for standard parking.
The operator has coordinated with neighbouring airports to accommodate visiting aircraft at adjoining airports for night parking in case the demand for night parking exceeds the availability of stands, the statement further adds.
The airport operator has also requested airlines to continue to support the management of timely slots and enhanced resources.
Requests from several commercial airlines to operate additional flights connecting Ahmedabad to other major Indian cities have been accepted.
Earlier, the airport had emphasised its commitment to prioritise scheduled flights and passenger convenience during the event. Additional flights to metro cities have also been planned to serve the maximum number of passengers attending the final match.
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