Priyanka Tiwari
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Delhi Airport: If you travel through the Delhi Airport, then this is crucial for you. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi is going to have some major upgradation work done at the airport’s infrastructure. Because of this, Terminal 2 (T2) is going to be closed for 4-5 months at a time from April.
During this time, the works will also include the upgrading of a runway as well. The runway will be equipped with ILS (Instrument Landing System) technology which will make the airport compliant with CAT III B. This means that even very low visibility conditions such as dense fog, airplanes can still operate without much of a problem. There have been continuous concerns of fog at the time of winter in Delhi Airport, but, after this, there will be some respite for the passengers.
As said by Videh Kumar, CEO of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), The termination of the renovation work of Terminal 1 (T1) will be around March 15. The terminal will be functional as soon as it gets the green light. For the time being, T2 will still remain closed, and during this period, the approximate capacity of T2 which is around 15 million will be accommodated in T1.
There are plans to develop the airport as an aviation hub.
Beyond this, DIAL aspires to turn the airport in New Delhi into an aviation hub. To achieve this, they plan to set up 4 “slot banks” by the year 2025. A slot bank implies ensuring that a cluster of flights connect within a set timeframe. Doing so greatly assists the passengers catching transit flights and aids in smoother flight operations.
With the growing volume of airport traffic, there are plans to partially let T3 operate predominantly international flights. At this time, the section is set aside for domestic flights.
As per the information available from Delhi International Airport Limited, Delhi Airport processes approximately 1300 flights every day. T1 has an annual footfall capacity of 40 million while T2 can handle 15 million. However, T3, which was meant to serve 34 million international passengers, is currently accommodating 45 million.
Growing demand of international travelers
According to DIAL CEO Videh Kumar, the rate of travelers is constantly increasing. Currently, about 67,000 to 68,000 of them fly every day, which converts to around 24 million a year. However, the current capacity at T3 is just 20 million international travelers. Therefore, a decision has been made to change the T3 terminal 'Pier C' into an international terminal which will increase the international passenger capacity to 32 million. This will help in meeting the growing demand in the next 4 to 5 years.
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