New Delhi: Delhi airport’s new Terminal 1 (T1) will be fully operational from April 15, and Terminal 2 (T2) will be temporarily shut for refurbishment work next month.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the operator of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, on Thursday, said with T1 resuming full operations from April 15, all flights currently operating from T2 will be shifted to T1.
At present, IndiGo and Akasa Air have flights from T2, which handles around 270-280 air traffic movements and serves over 46,000 passengers per day.
“The expansion and modernisation of T1 have been completed as part of the Phase 3A expansion project. The expanded world-class integrated T1 of Delhi Airport was dedicated to the nation in March last year,” DIAL said in a release.
On Thursday, DIAL did not mention the temporary closure of T2.
DIAL, on January 10, said the four-decade-old T2 will be closed for four to six months in the next financial year for refurbishment works that are expected to be completed in the September quarter.
IGIA, also the country’s busiest airport, has three terminals -- T1, T2 and T3. Currently, T1 and T2 are used only for domestic flights.
The new T1 will have 100 check-in counters, including 36 Self Baggage Drop (SBD) kiosks, 108 Common Usage Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks for check-in and self-service, and 20 Automated Tray Retrieval Systems (ATRS) for smoother security checks, the release said. Among other facilities, there will be 10 baggage reclaim carousels, and the baggage handling capacity will be increased from 3,240 to 6,000 bags per hour.
The terminal area has been expanded from 55,740 sq m to 2,06,950 sq m, combining arrival and departure terminals for enhanced passenger experience, the release said.
Delhi airport’s T1 can handle 40 million passengers annually, T3 can accommodate 45 million, and T2 has a capacity of 15 million, DIAL said on Thursday. Airlines have been notified of terminal changes and advised to plan accordingly for the transition.