Delhi Airport Plans Major Upgrade—IGI Capacity To Rise By 2 Crore Passengers By 2030

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi is gearing up for a major capacity expansion that will increase its annual passenger handling capability by nearly 20 per cent from 105 million to 125 million by 2029–30.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said the upgrade will be achieved without dismantling Terminal 2 (T2), which will remain operational “for the foreseeable future,” reported Hindustan Times.

Instead of constructing a new terminal in place of T2, DIAL’s strategy focuses on targeted enhancements at Terminals 1 and 3.

A key element of this plan is the construction of Pier E at Terminal 3, expected to add 10–12 million passengers per annum.

Alongside, measures to ease congestion at Terminal 1 and create additional aircraft parking bays at T3 are also planned.

Jaipuriar explained that DIAL is finalising its master plan and will decide within a month whether the new pier will serve domestic or international passengers.

“We expect to exhaust our current 10.5 crore passenger capacity in the next three to four years,” he noted.

Currently, Terminal 3 has four piers — two for domestic and two for international operations. One domestic pier will soon be converted for international use, leaving the airport with greater flexibility to adapt to traffic trends once Pier E becomes operational in two to three years.

The airport’s long-term blueprint still envisions replacing the ageing Terminal 2, which handles around 15 million passengers annually, but that project has been deferred until traffic demand crosses the next threshold.

Jaipuriar also said the airport is fully equipped for the upcoming winter rush, supported by the Airport Predictive Operations Centre (APOC), which uses real-time data to coordinate passenger movement and minimise disruptions.

“With APOC in place and the upgraded Runway 10 operational, we don’t expect any major flight disruptions this year, unless there’s a spell of prolonged fog,” he added.

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