- A peek into the preparations and readiness of the SVPIA before the most awaited global summit
Ahmedabad. 01January 2021 The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2022 is the most awaited and the most coveted global event to take place in Gujarat from 10 to 12 January 2022. This marks the 10th edition of an event that has succeeded in putting Gujarat on the global map in terms of hospitality and ease of doing business. Partner countries like Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, the Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the UAE, and the UK will have their delegates attend this august gathering. With hundreds and thousands of delegates and attendees flying in from all over the world, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport of Ahmedabad (SVPIA) is all set and geared up to receive them. Following all covid-19 and Omicron guidelines, the team at SVPA has made special arrangements and extended their facilities to ensure smooth arrival and experience of the guests.
Staff Readiness
The preparations include a special training programme introduced early this month for the employees serving at the SVPIA, ensuring greater customer support and enhanced customer experience. This programme, the first of its kind to be introduced by any airport in India, has been made mandatory in the onboarding process of all employees.
Parking,Taxis & Transit
To solve the ever-rising parking woes, the SVPIA is set to get a large parking plot that will have all app-based taxis parked next to pre-paid taxis. Dedicated Ola/Uber and pre-paid taxi pick-up points are also being constructed. There will also be a covered walkway for better customer safety and experience.
Separate auto drop points with trolleys nearby have been introduced along with authorized prepaid auto and cab counters to eliminate touting. The BRTS bus services have been relaunched, the visibility of signages has been enhanced for the PRM passengers, and barricading done to avoid accidents. Inter-shuttle service installed for passengers who have connecting flights from different terminals.
The airport has also introduced an Electric bus service with an initial fleet of 10 electric buses for the airport and 5 dedicated buses plying to ISCKON and RTO covering 19 Kms. These buses will levy a special fare of just Rs. 50 per passenger and will operate every 15-25 minutes from 6 AM to 11 PM.
Health & Safety
Given the rising cases of Coronavirus and Omicron, the SVPIA has laid strict security measures following the guidelines of the Health Ministry and World Health Organization (WHO). A few of the measures taken are listed below:
- The Air Suvidha Online Portal has been made available wherein passengers need to fill a self-declaration form comprising travel details of the past 14 days, and attach a copy of passport, negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours before the journey, and a declaration of authenticity of test reports
- Unless having symptoms of Covid-19 on arrival or during the home quarantine period, children under 5 years are exempted from pre & post-arrival testing
- 5 additional sampling booths & 6 registration counters set-up
- Additional testing & resting facilities
- Larger waiting and seating areas with necessary amenities like recliners, washrooms, F&B, and more
- Segregation of passengers arriving from high-risk countries and low-risk countries
- Apollo & Northstar laboratories appointed for RT-PCR testing/Rapid PCR
- 96 Rapid PCR machines made available for passengers having connecting/onward flights with a short connecting time (with a provision for upscaling, if need be)
- Several locations have been marked with QR codes, helping passengers fill-up the form before testing. This code also leads to a pre-registration link with payment options
- Option of Rapid PCR test for passengers at Government approved rates
- Multiple touchless sanitizer dispensers have been installed at both terminals
- Apollo Pharmacy store opened
Rapid Passenger Mobility
Common-Use Self-Service (CUSS) Kiosks have been set up at the SVPIA to enable passengers to print their boarding passes and baggage tags with passenger service agents present 24X7. This speeds up the process considerably. To reduce wait times and long queues, separate gates for staff & customers have been installed, the number of gates increased from 4 to 6, DMFD devices increased from 11 to 14, X-Ray machines increased from 6-7, transit gate opened for domestic passengers, e-gates have been installed, airline offices behind check-in counters have been removed to give more space to passengers.
Passenger Comfort & Convenience
After a long flight or even waiting hours to catch your flight, it is imperative to stay relaxed to ensure your travel is hassle-free. Passenger comfort and convenience are of great importance for any airport and SVPIA does it right. New furniture has been installed at various places for passenger convenience, massage chairs and recliners have also been placed at the boarding gates. There are racks placed in washrooms for baggage, which is quite a small detail but very important from an individual traveler’s viewpoint. Sleeping pods have been installed at the airport for passengers who have connecting flights with long layover times or delayed flights. Moreover, trolleys have been kept near luggage belts to ensure quick access and luggage management.
For the dissemination of information, a Pranam Desk has been installed at the curbside, and ‘May I help you’ desks are available at T1 & T2. Also, 44 customer service executives have been deployed on the ground at the airport to assist customers and to address their concerns. New IndusInd Bank ATMs have been introduced at T2 and 8 new vending machines have been installed.
Green Initiatives
The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2022 lays great emphasis on global sustainable development, green initiatives, and the importance of a Green Economy. The SVPIA believes in getting the message across by implementing its green initiatives. In this regard, the airport’s exterior landscape is being upgraded with nearly 100+ palms, 5000+ decorative shrubs, and 10000+ flowering annuals. Terminals 1 and 2 each will have 400+ decorative planters and 2500+ indoor plants. Additionally, the plan is to have a green cover of 20000+ trees, a 10000 sq. mtr. landscape of shrubs and 20000 sq. mtr. green carpet lawn soon.
A Traditional Welcome
As opposed to the current artworks of cultural quotes, the SVPIA will bear a meticulously crafted and well-curated storyboard that represents the rich heritage and culture of Gujarat including the fabric and textiles of the region. This experience, as the airport authorities put it, is the new ‘element of surprise’ awaiting global travelers.
Conclusion
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad is the 7th busiest airport in India* with an estimated 3,642,413* passengers and a movement of nearly 85000* aircrafts as recorded in FY 2020-21. The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit has always increased the traffic at the airport manifold year on year and because of this, the SVPIA has taken all precautions, implemented guidelines and regulations to effectively manage the heavy footfall of global travelers, attendees and delegates and the staff at the airport will be ready to extend a warm traditional welcome to one and all.
