Srinagar Airport Departure Info

Posted on 28. Sep, 2009 by in Airport, Blog, Kashmir, Tips, Travel

Here’s the follow-up to the previous post about the Srinagar Airport, this time with departure info.

The first thing you’ll notice about departing from the Srinagar Airport is the high level of security checks to pass through. You’ll need a print out of your ticket/itinerary to show the security forces at the first gate. Before you get to the actual airport you’ll need to have all your bags (checked and carry-on) scanned at a screening post. From there you proceed to the airport where they’ll be scanned again right after you walk in the entrance.

One confusing thing about flying out of Srinagar for many tourists is the question of whether or not you can bring a carry-on bag with you. Most of the airlines have signs at their check-in counters indicating that no carry-on baggage is allowed for the flights from Srinagar. From what I understand this rule used to be strict in the 1990s, but at the present time is no longer enforced (especially for electronics, valuables, or delicate items).

What we tell our groups is that they can bring a carry-on bag, but they should take out any batteries (mainly from cameras) and put those in their checked bags. Your carry-on bag will be opened and inspected when you go through security to the boarding gate area, so if there’s anything you don’t want security officials sorting through then put that in your checked bag as well.

The airport is still undergoing some construction so changes will likely happen, but here are the facilities currently available inside the departure terminal.

  • Restaurant – upstairs; has a small selection of some veg and non-veg items
  • Snack shops – downstairs; mainly chips + cold drinks or instant chai; there is one inside the departure gate area after security but it mainly has drinks with less food snacks
  • Bathrooms – both before and after the security check for the gate area
  • Internet access – the back of the snack shop before the gate area has 3 computers that you can get online with for 80 Rupees/hour, no wifi at this point
  • Kashmiri shawls and handicrafts shop
  • J&K Agro shop with nuts, honey, and even canned wazwan from Kashmir
  • Smoking room
  • Child care and nursing mothers room
  • Jewelry shop
  • Medical room
  • Foreign exchange counter, but the rates here are pretty bad

Just as with arrivals, all foreign tourists departing from the airport need to fill out an FRO (Foreign Registration Office) form with their passport/visa info along with details of their visit to Kashmir. The FRO counter is next to the jewelry shop and the foreign exchange counter.

The final thing to keep in mind when flying out of the Srinagar airport is that you need to identify your checked baggage before boarding the plane. After you go through the security check into the departure gate area, you’ll usually be asked by an airline official if you’ve identified your checked bag yet. Currently the place to do that is out an exit to the left following the security check (don’t worry, there are signs). You’ll go outside to where the baggage handlers for the various airlines have all the checked bags lined up. Just find your bags and have one of handlers for your airline mark the baggage claims tags on both your bags and your boarding pass. After that you can head back in to the departure gate and wait for your flight to start boarding.

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