Delhi Airport Set For Major Upgrade To Expand International Traffic Capacity At Terminal 3

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) will reportedly convert a domestic pier at Terminal 3 (T3) into an international pier to accommodate rising overseas passenger traffic.

This move comes as Air India group and IndiGo continue to expand their international operations significantly.

Once completed, T3 will host three international piers and one domestic pier.

Terminal 3 currently has an annual passenger handling capacity of 6.5 crore, split between 2 crore international and 4.5 crore domestic travelers.

Last year, T3 exceeded its international capacity by handling over 2.1 crore passengers.

Currently, T3 is the sole terminal for international traffic, while the combined domestic capacity of Terminals 1, 2, and 3 will reach 10 crore annually once Terminal 1 becomes fully operational in the next few months.

In 2024, the airport recorded 5.7 crore domestic flyers.

The conversion of the domestic pier to an international one at T3 is expected to take effect following the reopening of Terminal 2 (T2) after its maintenance.

This change will increase T3's international passenger capacity by around one crore annually, while domestic capacity will reduce by the same margin.

To address this, DIAL plans to construct a new pier, Pier E, at T3, with a capacity of one crore passengers, by mid-2027.

Until Pier E becomes operational, T3's reduced domestic capacity will strain transit operations.

DIAL's delay in installing an air train to connect the 7 km distance between Terminals 1 and T3/2 will further impact passengers transferring between domestic and international flights.

For the next three years, passengers will largely rely on buses for these transfers.

However, transit passengers flying with the same airline or airline group may benefit from airside baggage transfers.

Terminal 2, currently serving domestic flights, is expected to handle 1.5 crore passengers annually for the next 2–4 years. It will then be demolished to pave the way for the construction of Terminal 4, which is planned to accommodate up to four crore passengers.

The demolition will likely occur after Pier E at T3 is completed, with the timeline also influenced by passenger volumes at the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar.

"The earlier plan to convert T2 into all-international (which is how it started its life in 1986) was shelved as re-creating the required infra like immigration and customs barriers would have meant a drop in its capacity," said DIAL sources, Times of India reported.

Additionally, domestic passenger movement is more seamless as it does not require immigration checks.

Expanding international capacity has become a priority to manage rising passenger traffic.

In 2024, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) handled nearly 7.8 crore passengers, marking an 8 per cent increase from 7.2 crore in 2023.

Domestic passenger numbers grew by 5.5 per cent, from 5.4 crore in 2023 to 5.7 crore in 2024, while international traffic surged by 17 per cent, rising from 1.8 crore to over 2.1 crore.

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