Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday inaugurated dual elevated Eastern Cross Taxiways and the fourth runway at the Delhi airport.
With this inauguration, Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) becomes the first airport in the country to have four runways and an elevated taxiway.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport, the country’s largest airport, handles more than 1,500 aircraft movements daily.
The Eastern Cross Taxiways (ECT), which is 2.1 km long, will reduce passengers’ time on the tarmac after landing and before take-off of flights.
With the ECT, the airport will also be the only one in the country to have an elevated taxiway with roads passing below it.
The ECT will connect the northern and southern airfields on the eastern side of the airport and will reduce the taxiing distance for an aircraft by seven km It can handle wide-body aircraft, including A-380 and B-777 and B-747.
While the total paved length of the runway is 4.4 km, and its width is 45 m the Runway can handle wide-body aircraft including A-380 and B-777.
The Dual-way elevated taxiway connects the Northern and Southern airfields.
The Taxiway will help reduce taxi distance for aircraft by 7 km and annual CO2 emissions by 55,000 tonnes
Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT) will help in enhancing the passenger experience by reducing time spent on the tarmac by flyers after landings and before take-offs.
Furthermore, four runway operations and the ECT will significantly increase capacity at IGIA – making it capable of handling 1700+ movements.
Speaking on the occasion, Scindia said “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Civil Aviation sector is not only contributing to the transportation sector but also becoming a key enabler in the rise of the economic power of India”.
Describing the occasion as a “landmark day for Indian civil aviation”, he said “the Eastern Cross Taxiway is the first of its kind in India. Also, this elevated Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT) will see a reduction of almost 55 thousand tons of CO2 Emission on annual basis. Also, this ECT, along with the fourth runway and the new integrated Terminal 1, will make Delhi Airport future-ready and fulfil the dream of creating a major International Hub”.
Scindia further said “Capacity along with Technological intervention will further enhance the passenger experience. The northern part of the airfield and the southern part of the airfield will be conveniently connected by this. It means an 8 to 9 minute reduction in taxi time. This runway makes Delhi Airport, the only airport in the country to have 4 runways”.
This runway along with the terminal expansion will add to creating capacity to serve more than 109 million people throughput which would crest and beat even Atlanta in its capability.
“With that capacity in place, we would be well positioned both on an infrastructure side and a capability side for creating the international civil aviation hub in India,” he added.