he Indian low-cost airline IndiGo has presented an innovative solution for the process of disembarking its passengers. The method, called by the company the “three-point disembarkation system”, will expedite the departure of aircraft to improve operational efficiency and punctuality of services.
In this way, the company will become the first operator to use three gates to complete the landing. For this, two front exit ports (one on each side of the aircraft) and one rear exit port will be enabled.
The main novelty of the procedure is the use, for the first time in commercial air operations, of an exit located on the right side of the plane for the disembarkation of passengers. Due to the sector’s safety regulations, both boarding and disembarkation are carried out through the accesses located on the left side.
Meanwhile, ground crew tasks such as loading and unloading luggage, fueling or boarding people who need mobility assistance in remote locations remain on the right side.
That’s why IndiGo’s new three-point landing procedure is so innovative. “We are proud to be the first airline in the world to use this process,” said Ronojoy Dutta, CEO of the company. For his part, Sanjeev Ramdas, executive vice president of the airline, said that “the addition of a third gate for disembarkation is a simple but effective way” to improve the passenger experience.
Initially, the new procedure will be implemented on IndiGo’s Airbus A320 and A321 arriving at remote parking positions at New Delhi (DEL), Bangalore (BLR) and Mumbai (BOM) airports. According to what was informed by the company, it is expected that the system will be implemented progressively until it reaches 70% of the terminals in its network in the country.
According to Sanjeev Ramdas, this will help reduce landing time by three to five minutes. The optimization of ground tasks between each flight (a process known as turnaround ) is one of the key points in the operation of low-cost airlines. Its business model is based on keeping aircraft in the air as long as possible, mainly due to the high cost of using services and operating spaces at airports.
Therefore, all actions aimed at reducing the time on the ground between landing and take-off are welcome. In addition, competition in the Indian airline market, one of the fastest growing in the world, is intensifying. Soon, Akasa Air will begin its regular commercial operations, while Jet Airways prepares its return. In this context, the inventiveness to improve service and optimize the profit margin is twofold.
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