Expansion work begins, 4th runway likely to be ready by 2021

Expansion work for enhancing the capacity of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) from 70 million passengers per annum to 100 million has begun and will be completed by 2022, airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said on Monday.

The airport expects to incur a capital expenditure of ₹9,800 crore for the expansion work, which will take the final capacity to 140 million passengers per annum (mppa). The airport operator will source the funds through international bonds, GMR Group’s deputy managing director I.P. Rao said.

Under Phase-3A of the IGI expansion master plan, DIAL will merge departure and arrival terminals of Terminal 1 (T1) into an integrated building that will be spread over 1,95,000 sq metres, increasing its area threefold from the existing 69,000 sq. m.

The capacity will be enhanced from 20 mppa to 40 mppa. The apron of T1 will be demolished and a new and expanded one will be developed to set up 82 parking stands, up from the current 55. This terminal will also get 22 aerobridges, which are only available at Terminal 3 (T3) as of now. A fourth runway is also expected to be ready by June 2021, which will make IGIA the only airport in the country with four airstrips.

Turnaround time

This facility, along with two of the three runways refurbished and two new elevated eastern cross taxiways, will help airlines improve their turnaround time.

At T3, work will be undertaken to expand passenger capacity from 34 mppa to 45 mppa, including doubling the size of the area for international-to-international transfers. A flyover will also be constructed in order to reduce travel time between T1 and T3.

Larsen & Toubro has been entrusted with the entire engineering procurement construction work in the latest phase of development.

DIAL is a consortium, comprising the GMR Group, the Airports Authority of India and Fraport. The consortium, which was handed over the charge of IGIA in 2006, has a mandate to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the Delhi airport for 30 years with an option to extend it by another 30 years.