Delhi airport aims to double capacity before this decade ends

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) got a capacity examination by the UK-based NATS Holdings revealed that Indira Gandhi International Airport’s (IGIA) four runways could fly in and out 14 crore passengers yearly before this decade ends.

It is over double the 6.9 crore international and domestic flyers witnessed in 2019. The fourth runway will be operational this summer.

India is now looking towards two mega airline players, IndiGo and the Tata group.

It remains to be seen if other established firms, including the upcoming ones such as Akasa, by Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, billionaire investor, can grow.

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, DIAL CEO, told the media that in 1.5 years, the expansion of Terminal-1 would be completed, and all IndiGo domestic flights would move there. The T1 would be the terminal for budget airlines’ domestic flights. Currently, T-1 would be only a domestic terminal.

Jaipuriar said that AirAsia, Air India, and Vistara would have all operations from T-3, with domestic and international flights taking off.

IndiGo, with currently around 300 planes and more than 500 on order, is keen on its dedicated terminal.

According to media sources, with a few adjustments, the larger T1 can manage both local and international flights.

Later in this decade, as per the growth rate, an airside capacity with a total of 14 crore flyers yearly would witness the last major expansion project of IGIA.

Therefore, the Asiad 1982-era T2 would be demolished to make a new terminal as the airside and terminal capacities would need to match.

Jaipuriar said that the NATS study showed the optimal use of the four runways leading towards an airside capacity of 14 crore passengers annually.

It would need air traffic management techniques to safely manage more planes by decreasing their separation and other technical procedures.

The CEO told the media that the capacity of IGIA can double from 6.9 crores in 2019 over the coming few years.

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Also read: DIAL finishes refurbishing work on Indira Gandhi International Airport's runway