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Delhi International Airport is set to handle a record-breaking 7.2 crore passengers in the current fiscal year, ending March 31, marking its highest annual traffic with an increase of 10 per cent in international traffic. CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said on Sunday.
On the sidelines of the inauguration of the expanded T1 terminal, inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jaipuriar said, the new terminal is expected to be operational in May.
Terminal’s capacity
The terminal’s capacity has increased from 1.7 crore to 4 crore, with its total area tripling to 2,06,950 square meters. According to ministry sources, the project cost is estimated at ₹4,600 crore.
Jaipuriar added, “We are in the Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) process.” The airport, managed by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), now boasts an annual handling capacity of 10 crore across three terminals - T1, T2, and T3.
Speaking about the overall growth, Jaipuriar added that the projected passenger traffic for the fiscal year will surpass 7.2 crore, exceeding the pre-Covid peak of 6.93 crore passengers.
international traffic
Speaking about the international traffic, he said that it was increasing, “International traffic is doing well. I believe, it to be around 27-28 per cent of the 7.2 crore passengers in the current fiscal. Compared to pre-Covid, international traffic is 10 per cent more.”
With the expanded T1, Delhi Airport is now among the top five airports globally in terms of annual passenger handling capacity. Jaipuriar noted, “In terms of capacity, it (Delhi airport) will be one of the top five. In terms of traffic, we are not yet in the top five.”
Regarding the enhanced T1, Group Deputy Managing Director of GMR Group I Prabhakara Rao said that the amount of steel used in the expansion is more than 10 times that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the amount of cement used was more than the amount used to build the Burj Khalifa.
The expanded terminal will feature eight entry gates with 24 entry points for ease of entry for passengers. It will with facial recognition system of the Digi Yatra, 108 Common Usage Self Service (CUSS), 100 checkin counters including 36 Self Baggage Drop (SBD) kiosks among others.
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