A foreign national has expressed frustration over the immigration process at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi, citing long queues and time-consuming security checks. He claimed that such delays are uncommon at other international airports.
The traveller shared his views on Reddit, which were later reposted on the r/AirTravelIndia subreddit. In his post, he criticised Indian airports for requiring passengers to remove all electronics — “One thing I hate about Indian airports is that they make you take out every piece of electronics from your carry-on bag,” he wrote.
He further added: “In Europe, no one ever asked me to empty my bag and put it in a tray, even in flights to US or Canada. PS:- I hate long security and immigration queue at IGI T3 Credits.”
Most airports, including those in India, still rely on older X-ray scanners, which require passengers to remove electronics from their bags for clearer screening. In contrast, several countries have upgraded to newer 3D CT scanners — used in the UK, Europe, Middle East — that can scan cluttered bags without requiring travellers to take out their devices or liquids.
Internet users share their experiences
The Reddit post has sparked a flood of reactions from social media users, many sharing similar or contrasting experiences.
One user wrote: “It’s not just this. You need to take off your belt, watch, wallet, sunglasses, pretty much everything except for the clothes you’re wearing.” Another replied, “Nah I had a chained shirt and baggy chained jeans, they legit made me naked to a safe frisking booth at CMT.”
Another commenter said: “I’m in US, and here they make us remove belt, watch, wallet… They ask to remove all big electronics and put on a separate tray – laptops, cameras, tablets etc.” The user added that even removing shoes is required in the US.
A third user noted: “Even in Heathrow you’ll have to remove all the things you said… I lost some cables there. Sad noises.”
Another added: “A couple of US airports made me do this. Dubai is the smoothest check I’ve had, don’t need to do anything!”
