Chennai: Paid lodging or free facility for flyers with long layovers

CHENNAI: Domestic passengers who land at Chennai airport and plan to board a connecting flight scheduled several hours later or on the next day may have to spend to stay at a hotel or move into a free facility offered by the state government.
The state government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are working out a plan to accommodate these people till they can board their next flight.
Sources said that the state government may tie up with a few hotels and is also looking at identifying some facilities like college hostels or public buildings to accommodate transit passengers who have a longer layover at the airport.
"The rooms may be offered at a discounted rate so that people may not have to spend too much. A few buildings are being considered but it will be finalized soon," said an official.
The move comes after more people have started to book connecting flights via Chennai to different cities as many direct flights are not available from small airports because of the limited schedule.
Only point-to-point travellers flew last week after domestic flights resumed.
An airport official said, "We have started getting transit passengers in the last few days. Though the numbers are not much it may increase in the coming days as the flight schedule has stabilized."
"Chennai is a hub airport. So, people land here to board flights to other destinations. But, the flight schedules are limited. This means transit time will be longer and people who arrive by evening flights may have to wait till the next day to board connecting flights. It may not be possible to allow the passengers to remain inside the terminal and it's not safe to make them wait outside the terminal," he added.
AAI closes the terminal after the last flight, which is at 11.30pm, on most days to disinfect the terminal.
The airport does not have a transit facility after rooms and dormitories in the old building were demolished for constructing a new terminal.