Delhi's Terminal 3 opens for international business

The Indian capital of Delhi is in the middle of a massive makeover as it gets set to host the Commonwealth Games starting in October. Apart from new stadiums and roads, one elegant element of the package is a new integrated terminal for Indira Gandhi International, by far the largest airport in the country. About 55 international airlines already have started using Terminal 3 since it opened at the end of July. Glitches in power and water supplies have delayed the opening for domestic passengers until the end of this month from a planned start date of Aug. 27.

The airport was privatized by the government four years ago and now is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd. DIAL's owners are Indian construction group GMR (50.1%), Fraport AG (10%), Malaysia Airports (10%), the government-owned Airport Authority of India (26%) and India Development Fund (3.9%). DIAL has invested about $2.2 billion in the project and wants to make Delhi a strong regional hub capable of competing with Dubai and Singapore, which have taken away traffic from the subcontinent for years.

The new terminal, built on nine levels with a capacity to handle 34 million passengers per year, is a key element of this vision. Metro rail connectivity linking the airport to the city is expected to start shortly; travelers currently have to deal with significant road congestion.

Passenger traffic at DEL has grown sharply from about 16 million in 2007 to 26 million in FY10 to overtake Mumbai, the commercial capital. Passengers reviewing the airport say they are pleased with the increased space and faster immigration and customs clearances, especially when compared to the 24-year-old-terminal that T3 replaces. Spread across 5.4 million sq. ft., it has 168 check-in counters divided into six islands. Four self-check counters will be available imminently, GMR officials said. About 100 moving sidewalks and 78 boarding bridges will be used for 90% of embarking and disembarking passengers. Assisting them in collecting their bags are 6,400 m. of conveyor belts in a completely automated baggage handling system that can handle 12,800 bags per hr.

CTX machines being used for the first time in India are doing baggage screenings at the airport. Domestic airlines are looking forward to using the terminal, which has 48 domestic boarding gates and is expected to improve turnaround times.

DIAL has chalked up plans to develop the project further as passenger numbers grow over the next two decades. Terminals and runways will be added in a modular manner to form a U-shaped complex with an ultimate capacity of 100 million passengers by 2030. A controversy is now raging with the state government in Uttar Pradesh, a state neighboring Delhi, over plans to build a new airport at Noida about 70 km. from DEL. DIAL’s promoters say no airport should be allowed within a 150-km. radius as it would impact revenues.

T3 is one of the largest structures constructed in India. It has 95 immigration counters. Check-in and baggage retrieval are being done through a Common Use Passenger Processing System (CUPPS) and a level five in-line baggage handling system.

Though global in appearance and comfort, the airport has been designed to have a strong Indian feel with dashes of bright red, green, yellow and orange representing the spices of the country. In the entrance hall the motif is traditional Indian classical dance. The theme is carried forward inside with giant murals of dance mudras (postures) to welcome foreign visitors and bid adieu to those leaving.