Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi will soon become the only Indian airport with a capacity to handle 100 million passengers per annum (MPPA).
The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) which is a GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd-led consortium and operates the Delhi airport on Monday said the passenger handling capacity of the airport will increase to 100 MPPA and the airside capacity will increase to 140 MPPA once expansion work gets completed this year.
“Post completion of Phase 3A expansion work scheduled in 2023, Delhi airport will become the only Indian airport whose terminals would be able to handle 100 million passengers per annum (MPPA),” it said in a release.
Expansion Plan
In accordance with Phase 3A of the Delhi airport development project, departure Terminal T1D and arrival Terminal T1C will be integrated under a single roof to form the new integrated Terminal 1.
The major refurbishment and expansion will boost Terminal 1’s area from 60,000 square metres to 169,000 sq/m and establish a fully-integrated terminal with departures and arrivals under one roof.
The international transfer area of Terminal 3 will also be increased, and a 7th check-in island will be added in T3 with connected baggage handling stems and two arrival carousels.
Under the plan, the entire Terminal 1 apron area (where aircraft are parked) would be demolished and a new and expanded apron would be constructed to provide a higher capacity layout with 82 stands.
“The new Terminal 1 apron, apart from having an increased number of stands, would be equipped with latest technological upgrades including visual docking guidance system, fuel hydrant system, ground power units, pre-conditioned air, etc. Under Phase 3A, a flyover would be constructed at Aerocity Metro station junction to reduce travel time from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3,” the DIAL said.
The DIAL is also constructing 4.4-kilometre-long fourth runway, parallel to runway 11/29 on the southern side as part of Phase 3A work.
Once commissioned, the fourth runway would handle the increased traffic movement and help reduce carbon emission. The Delhi airport would become the first airport in India to have four operational runways.
Apart from this, the DIAL is also carrying out construction of 2.1 km-long dual elevated Eastern Cross Taxiways (ECT) as part of the expansion project. Once the ECT is commissioned, the aircraft taxiing distance will reduce by 7 km.
“At present, after landing at RWY 29/11 or to take-off from this runway, an aircraft has to cover a distance of about 9 km. During this period, passengers have to remain inside the plane,” the DIAL said.
The ECT will help airlines to save approximately 350 kg of fuel every time an aircraft uses the taxiing route provided by the ECT from runway 29/11 to Terminal 1 and vice-versa. It will help decongest the airport and reduce approximately 55,000 tonnes of carbon emission annually.
Engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has been entrusted with the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work for Phase 3A.
Ninth Busiest Airport Globally
Delhi is home to the busiest airport in India — Indira Gandhi International Airport. It is the largest airport in our country, with over 950 flights departing each day. It comprises three terminals with over 80 airlines operating out of them and is named after the former prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
In FY23, the airport handled around 65.33 million passengers, including 15.65 million international passengers.
The IGI airport recently joined the league of the world’s 10 busiest airports based on passenger traffic, as per Airports Council International (ACI). In 2022, the airport handled approximately 59.5 million passengers, earning it the ninth position on the global trade association’s ranking.
Meanwhile, the government is working on plans to make Delhi an international aviation hub.