This was a setback to the terminal’s operations causing delays in flight departures since normalcy was being restored on Sunday after a weeklong disruption as a result of the unprecedented rush of returning Umrah pilgrims and Eid Al-Fitr holiday crowd.
On Sunday night, the belts conveying the checked luggage for scanning moved slowly, which resulted in delaying the check-in process of passengers. They started malfunctioning on Monday.
“In a bid to avoid overcrowding at the check-in counters, airport officials allowed passengers in groups of 50 to enter the lounge. They were allowed to enter the check-in area depending on the availability of space,” an airline official told Arab News.
The clearing of passengers from the check-in counters took time as they came in small groups at intervals. This ultimately delayed flight departures by up to two hours in some cases and beyond a couple of hours in certain other cases, he added.
The delays were also because airlines do not want to leave the checked baggage of passengers behind. During the rush days, certain airlines flew their passengers without their baggage due to the breaking down of the conveyor system.
What also added to the rush at the North Terminal was the resumption of flights of certain airlines that had been switched to the Haj Terminal in the previous two or three days. “Flights of EgyptAir and some other regional airlines began operating again from the North Terminal on Sunday and this contributed to the rush,” the airline official said.
Airport officials were not available on Monday to comment on the situation.
Airline and travel agents said there was no reason for the conveyor system to break down now as the rush had comparatively reduced and over-sized bags were not being checked in any more.
“The checked baggage has to be sent by the conveyor belts, as they cannot be handled manually for scanning purposes,” a travel agent said.
“Nor can the airlines afford to keep the bags tagged after check-in as they would pile up adding to the problem of space. In the prevailing circumstances, the only alternative for the airlines to avoid flight delays is to check-in passengers and send their baggage later to their destinations,” the manager of an African airline said.
