Infrastructure
Expansion Plans Underway: Delhi IGI Airport Set To Feature Two International Terminals Soon
Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.
Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), India's largest airport in the capital, will feature two international terminals.
IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline, has requested Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) to create facilities for international traffic at the expanded Terminal 1 or T1 of the IGI Airport in New Delhi.
At present, IndiGo operates from all three terminals of the IGI Airport, including Terminal 1, which is currently an all-domestic terminal.
The expansion of T1 is expected to be completed by this September, and clearance from multiple government agencies is expected to be sought to make T1 a facility for handling international traffic as well as domestic flights.
It is expected that eventually, Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport will be used for Tata Group airlines, including Air India-Vistara and AI Express-AirAsia India, combined, as well as foreign carriers.
T1 will handle flights of low-cost carriers, including IndiGo, while T2 will be designated for full-service carriers' domestic flights.
This would help minimise confusion and inconvenience for passengers who may otherwise need to travel between different terminals.
Transitioning between different terminals is currently a significant pain point for passengers, as there are no automated people mover system like an air train to smoothen the process.
Interestingly, Terminal 2 was initially built as an international terminal for Asiad in 1982 and played that role until the opening of T3 in 2010. Since then, it has mainly been used for domestic operations and is expected to continue serving domestic flights until a new terminal is built.
IndiGo was the largest domestic airline in India in 2023, with a market share of 56.1 per cent, handling 6.9 crore of 12.3 crore domestic passengers across the country that year.
The airline expects to cross the 10-crore passenger mark (domestic plus international) in the fiscal year 2023-24 and enter the league of the world’s biggest airlines by passenger volume.
Currently, IndiGo operates around 310 planes and expects to double its fleet count before 2030. The Tata Group has also recently ordered 470 planes, indicating significant expansion plans for their airlines.
The expansion of Terminal 1 is a reflection of the growing demand for air travel in India, which has rebounded strongly since the pandemic.
Delhi's IGI Airport is among the top 10 busiest airports in the world. Having designated terminals for different categories of flights and airlines will help streamline the airport's operations and minimise inconvenience for passengers.
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