Indira_Gandhi_International_Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport (Hindi: इंदिरा गांधी अंतरराष्ट्रीय हवाई अड्डा) is an airport located in Delhi, India. Named after former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, it is the busiest airport in India in terms of number of daily flights and the second-busiest in India in terms of passenger volume. The airport serves as the primary civilian aviation hub for the National Capital Region of India. The airport was previously operated by the Indian Air Force and was a part of the Palam Airport until its management was transferred to Airport Authority of India. In May 2008, the management of the airport was passed over to a joint venture, known as Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and led by GMR Group, which will also have the responsibility for the airport's ongoing expansion and modernization.

In 2007, Indira Gandhi International Airport handled 23 million passengers annually and the planned expansion program will increase its capacity to handle 100 million passengers by 2030. The new Terminal 3 building, currently under construction and expected to cost US$1.94 billion, will handle an additional 37 million passengers annually before the start of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In September 2008, the airport inaugurated a 4.43 kilometer-long runway, making it Asia's longest runway.

History

The airport, which was earlier known as Palam Airport, was built around the second world war and served as an Air Force Station for the Indian Air Force. Passenger operations were later shifted to the airport from Safdarjung Airport in 1962 due to an increase in traffic. Palam Airport had a peak capacity of around 1300 passengers per hour .

Owing to an increase in air traffic in the 70s, an additional terminal with nearly four times the area of the old Palam terminal was constructed. With the inauguration of a new international terminal (Terminal 2), shaped like a trapezoid on 2 May 1986, the airport was renamed as Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The trapezoid terminal (international) has nine jet bridges.

Statistics

The old Palam terminal is now known as Terminal 1 and handles all domestic flights. The terminal has been divided into three separate terminals - 1A (for domestic flights of state owned Indian Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines), 1B (for all other domestic airlines) and Domestic Arrival Terminal. There is also a separate Technical Area for the use of VVIP movements. Additionally there is a separate Hajj terminal for catering rush during Hajj.

Owing to the booming Indian Aviation industry and the entry of numerous low-cost private carriers, the airport saw a huge jump in passenger traffic and has failed to cope with the demand. The capacity of Terminal 1 is estimated to be 7.15 million passengers per annum (mppa). However, the actual throughput for 2005/06 was an estimated 10.4 million passengers. Including the international terminal (Terminal 2), the airport has a total capacity of 12.5 mppa whereas the total passenger traffic in 2006/07 was 16.5 million passengers per annum In 2007, there was a 6.5 million increase in the airport's passenger traffic, making the number of passengers 23 million that used the airport.

Delhi Airport has two parallel runways and a non-parallel runway: a new runway 11R/29L(14,534ft (4430m))with CAT IIIB ILS on both sides, the main runway 10/28 and an auxiliary runway 09/27 (). Runway 28 is one of the few runways in Asia and the only one in South Asia equipped with CAT III-B instrument landing system. In the winter of 2005 there were a record number of disruptions at Delhi airport due to fog/smog. Since then some domestic airlines have trained their pilots to operate under CAT-II conditions of a minimum visibility. On 31 March 2006, IGI became the first Indian airport to operate two runways simultaneously following a test run involving a SpiceJet plane landing and a Jet Airways plane taking off at the same time.

As there is an Indian Air Force Base (Hindon) in the flight path of Delhi airport it is necessary for civilian aircraft to make a five-minute detour to avoid over-flying the military facility. In previous years the IAF used to close Delhi airport for use during annual celebrations to mark its "raising" day. As of 2006 such activities are conducted at Hindon Air Force Base to reduce disruption to civilian air traffic at Delhi airport.

Modernization and expansion

Delhi Airport has been undergoing major upgrades since Fraport, Airports Authority of India, Eraman Malaysia, and GMR Infrastructure have been granted the contract to manage and build the airport over a 35 year period. Terminal 1A and 2 have been renovated with new washrooms, ceilings, departure areas and the latest security equipment.

The companies have also been constructing the brand new Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport. This terminal will cater to both domestic and international passengers until the second phase of construction is completed, which will include an additional new terminal catering exclusively for international flights. Terminal 3 will be built in place of the older existing terminals.

Designed by HOK working in consultation with Mott MacDonald, the new Terminal 3 will be a two-tier building, with the bottom floor being the arrivals area, and the top being a departures area. This terminal will have over 160 check-in counters, 74 aerobridges, 30 parking bays, 72 immigration counters, 15 X-ray screening areas, for less waiting times, duty-free shops, and other features. Over 90% of passengers will use this terminal when completed. This new terminal is planned to be completed in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which are to be held in Delhi, and will be connected to Delhi by an eight-lane motorway (National Highway 8), and the Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System. Terminal 3 will cater to more than 35 million passengers a year.

In September 2008, the airport inaugurated a 4.43 kilometer long runway, making it the longest operational runway in Asia. The runway will increase the airport's capacity to handle 70 flights from 34-40 flights per hour. As of September 2008, the runway was undergoing trials.

Terminal 3 would form the first phase of the airport expansion in which a U shaped building would be developed in a modular manner. In 2010, all international and full service domestic carriers will operate from Terminal 3, while Terminal 1 will be developed as an exclusive terminal for low cost carriers. In subsequent stages, the low cost carriers will also move to the new terminal complex.

Terminal 4 and 5 will be built at a later stage, and once completed, all international flights will move to these two new terminals, while Terminal 3 will then solely be used for handling domestic air traffic. A new cargo handling building is also planned. According to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), these new terminals will cost approximately US$7.5 billion dollars and will increase the airport's annual passenger volume capacity to 100 million.

Incidents and accidents

Airlines and destinations

IGI Airport is the home of several Indian airlines including Indian Airlines, SpiceJet, Air India Regional and IndiGo Airlines. Air India and Jet Airways use IGI Airport as their second hub after Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. The airport is also a major base for various other Indian air carriers including Kingfisher Airlines, GoAir, Deccan and Jet Lite. Almost 100 domestic, international, and cargo airlines serve this airport. There are six operational terminals making up this airport, they are the following:

Terminal 1 (Domestic)

The terminal in which all domestic operations (airlines from terminals 1A and 1B) arrive. The terminal is compact, however has received a new greeting area with expanded space, and a bigger luggage reclaim area. The arrival terminal will also be discharged once new terminals come up.

Terminal 1A

Terminal 1A caters to all domestic flights operated by Kingfisher Airlines, Air India and its subsidiaries Air India Regional and Indian Airlines . As one of the oldest terminals within the airport, the terminal features a shabby appearance, its interiors and exterior in desperate need of a makeover. DIAL, the owner of the airport, has majorly upgraded this terminal. It now sports a new look with modern washrooms and facilities, however will be torn down on the completion of newer terminals which are expected to finish construction in the coming years.

Terminal 1B

Terminal 1B serves all other domestic carriers including: Deccan, IndiGo Airlines, Jet Airways and subsidiary JetLite, Jagson Airlines, MDLR Airlines, GoAir, and SpiceJet. This Terminal has also been upgraded and boasts a variety of fast food outlets, newly installed seating, and extra space built for the terminal, all in addition to cleaner and new washrooms. The terminal's exterior design has also been altered to a newer, fresher looking design. This terminal will also be demolished subsequent to the arrival of newer terminals, despite its recent upgrades.

Terminal 2 (International)

Handling all International operations at the airport, it is the airport's newest and largest terminal. However, constructed in the 80's, it is also in desperate need of repair, and it is half its size to cater to all its passengers. This sign of distress has already been taken care of. The entire terminal has been upgraded. It has been repainted, new, glass windows have replaced the old dark ones, floors have been retiled, walls and ceilings now have new cladding, more immigration and emigration counters have been implemented, new seats have been brought in, new baggage belts, more business lounges, eateries, and lots of fresh duty free shops have also been added. The fate of this terminal is unknown. Once the new Terminal 3 comes up in 2010 and all airlines will move into this new terminal, Terminal 2 will either be used for private jets or be torn down.

Hajj Terminal

Upon the annual Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj, all airlines bound for the middle east move to this separate terminal to prevent disruption of other passengers who are traveling to other areas of the globe. A separate area has been made for Hajj to cater to the abundance of additional travelers during this season, and to accommodate them with enough provided space.

Cargo Terminal

The Cargo Terminal handles all cargo operations. The airport received an award in 2007 for its excellent and organized cargo handling system.

Terminal 3

Predicted to be the second largest terminal in the world (after Beijing Capital Airport's Terminal 3) this massive, modern terminal will revolutionise the airport and usher it into the 21st century. All airlines will use this terminal. (For more info. on terminal three refer to the modernisation section of this article.) More terminals will follow in the progression of time.

Airlines

Passenger and cargo airlines operating in Indira Gandhi International Airport
Airlines Destinations Frequency Equipment|
Aeroflot Moscow Shermetyevo 7 x week B767-300ER, Ilyushin Il-96-300
Aerosvit Kiev-Boryspil 4 x Weekly B767-300ER
Air Arabia Sharjah 7 x week A320-200
Air Astana Almaty 3 x Weekly A320-200
Air China Beijing 7 x week B767-300ER
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle 7 x week B747-400(W) / A340-300(S)
Air France Cargo Paris-Charles De Gaulle Not specified B747-400F
Air India (International) Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Jeddah, London-Heathrow, New York-JFK, Osaka-Kansai, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Tokyo-Narita 7 x week A310-300 / B747-400 / B777-200LR / B777-300
Air India (Domestic) Coimbatore, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Khajuraho, Kolkata, Leh, Lucknow, Mumbai, |Nagpur, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Srinagar, Tirupati, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Vadodara, Varanasi 7 x week A300B4 / A319-100 / A320-200
Air India Cargo Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Dammam, Cochin, Goa, Hyderabad, Frankfurt Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Trivandrum Not specified A310-300F / B737-200F Adv
Air India Express Dubai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai 7 x week B737-800
Air India Regional Allahabad, Bhubaneswar, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kulu, Ranchi, Surat, Udaipur, Vishakhapatnam 7 x week Not Specified
Indian Airlines Amritsar, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Dubai, Jaipur, Kabul, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, Lucknow, Muscat, Sharjah 7 x week A319-100
Air Mauritius Mauritius 1 x Weekly A330-200
Alitalia Cargo Milan-Malpensa Not specified MD-11F
American Airlines Chicago-O'Hare 7 x week B777-200ER
Ariana Afghan Airlines Kabul 2 x Weekly A310-200
Asiana Airlines Seoul-Incheon 3 x Weekly A330-300
Atlant-Soyuz Airlines Not specified Charter Cargo Flights Not specified
Austrian Airlines Vienna 7 x week B767-300ER(S) / B777-200ER(W)
Biman Bangladesh Dhaka 3 x Weekly DC-10 / A310-200
Blue Dart Aviation Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai. 7 x week B757-200
British Airways London-Heathrow 14 x Weekly B777-200(S) / B747-400(W)
British Airways World Cargo Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Munich, London-Stansted, Shanghai-Pudong Not specified B747-400F
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong 14 x Weekly A330-300/A340-300
Cathay Pacific Cargo Hong Kong, London-Heathrow 2 x weekly B747-400F
China Airlines Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan 5 x Weekly A330-300
China Airlines Cargo Amsterdam, Manchester, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan Not specified B747-400F
China Eastern Airlines Beijing, Shanghai-Pudong 5 x Weekly A330-200
China Southern Airlines Guangzhou 7 x Weekly B757-200
Continental Airlines Newark 7 x week B777-200ER
Cosmic Air Kathmandu 14 x Weekly Fokker 100
DHL Air Not specified Various Charter Flights A310-CARGO
Druk Air Kathmandu, Paro 5 x Weekly A319-100
Emirates Airline Dubai 18 x Weekly A330-300 / B777-200 / B777-300ER
Emirates SkyCargo Dubai Not specified B747-400F
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi 7 x week A320-200 / A330-300 / A340-300 / A340-600
Etihad Airways Crystal Cargo Abu Dhabi Not specified A300-600RF
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa, Beijing 5 x Weekly B767-300ER
Euro Cargo Air Brno Not specified B747-400F
EVA Air Cargo Brussels, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan Not specified MD-11F
FedEx Various Charter Destinations Not specified DC-10
Finnair Helsinki 7 x week MD-11
GMG Airlines Dhaka 2 x Weekly MD-82
GoAir Ahmedabad, Goa, Hyderabad, Jammu, Mumbai, Srinagar 7 x week A320-200
Gulf Air Bahrain 7 x week A320-200 / A340-300
Iberia Airlines Madrid [Begins January 2009] Yet to specify A340-300
IndiGo Airlines Agartala, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Vadodara 7 x week A320-200
Jagson Airlines Dharamshala, Kullu, Shimla 7 x week Dornier 228-200
Japan Airlines Tokyo-Narita 7 x week B747-400
Jazeera Airways Dubai, Kuwait 7 x week A320-200
Jet Airways Abu Dhabi, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Brussels, Dhaka, Dubai, Hong Kong [begins 26 October], Kathmandu, London-Heathrow, Singapore, Toronto-Pearson 7 x week B777-300 / A330-200 / B737-800
Jet Airways Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Leh, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Srinagar, Thiruvanathapuram, Udaipur, Vadodara, Varanasi 7 x week B737-700 / B737-800 / B737-900 / ATR-72-500
Jet Cargo Various Charter Destinations Not specified Not specified
JetLite Kathmandu 7 x week B737-800
JetLite Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dibrugarh, Goa, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Ranchi, Srinagar, Visakhapatnam 7 x week B737-400/B737-800
Jordan Aviation Various Chartered Destinations A310
Kam Air Kabul 3 x Weekly B737-200 Adv
Kingfisher Airlines Agra, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Srinagar, Udaipur, Varanasi 7 x week A319-100 / A320-200 / A321-200 / ATR-42 / ATR-72
Kingfisher Red Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Ranchi 7 x week A320-200 / A321-200 / ATR-42-500
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Amsterdam 7 x week MD-11 / B777-200ER
Korean Air Cargo Seoul-Incheon 2 x weekly B747-400F
Kuwait Airways Kuwait City 7 x week A300B4/A310-300
Kuwait Airways Cargo Kuwait City Not specified B747-400F
Kyrgyzstan Airlines Bishkek 3 x Weekly Tu-154
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich 14 x Weekly B747-400 / A340-600
Lufthansa Cargo Frankfurt, Munich, Leipzig-Halle, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai-Pudong Not specified MD-11F
Mahan Air Tehran-Imam Khomeini 4 x Weekly A300B4
Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur 9 x Weekly A330-300
MDLR Airlines Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Ranchi 7 x week Avro RJ70
Nepal Airlines Kathmandu 7 x week B757-200
Oman Air Muscat 7 x week B737-800
Pakistan International Airlines Karachi, Lahore 6 x Weekly B737-300
Qatar Airways Doha 7 x week A330-200 / A330-300
Royal Jordanian Amman 7 x week A310-300
Saudi Arabian Airlines Dammam, Riyadh, Madinah, Jeddah 12 x Weekly B777-200
Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah Not specified A300B4
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen [Begins 27 October] 3 x Weekly A330-200 / A340-300
Singapore Airlines Singapore 14 x Weekly B777-200/B777-300ER
Singapore Airlines Cargo Singapore Not specified B747-400F
SpiceJet Ahmedabad, Bagdogra, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jammu, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Srinagar, Varanasi, Visakhapatnam 7 x week B737-800
Sri Lankan Airlines Colombo 6 x Weekly A320-200
Swiss International Airlines Zurich 7 x week A330-200
Syrian Arab Airlines Damascus, Sharjah 2 x Weekly A320-200
Thai Airways International Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi 12 x Weekly B747-400 / B777-300
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Ataturk 4 x Weekly A310-300
Turkmenistan Airlines Ashgabat 3 x Weekly B737-800
Uzbekistan Airways Tashkent 1 x Weekly A310-300 / B767-300ER
Virgin Atlantic Airways London-Heathrow 7 x week A340-600
Xpressair Kathmandhu 5 x weekly B737-400

(S)=Summer/Fall, (W)=Winter, Spring

Previous carriers

The following have suspended operations from New Delhi:

  • Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson, London-Heathrow, Vancouver, Zürich) Air Canada had initially launched a non-stop route between Toronto and Delhi in 2003 using an Airbus A340 aircraft 3 times per week, and was the first carrier to initiate direct flights linking North America and India. In 2005, the carrier decided to adjust the route to include a stopover in Zürich. This allowed Air Canada to provide year-round service between Toronto and Zürich, as well as increase service from 3 times per week to daily. The route also provided for a code share agreement so that Swiss International Air Lines could sell seats on the flights. Additionally, a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft was substituted for the route so that the A340 aircraft could be re-deployed to start flights to new markets in South America from Toronto. However, the ZRH-DEL service was suspended altogether on 4 April 2007 due to erratic passenger traffic, with demand dramatically at an uncontrollable peak during the winter but a lower demand during the spring and summer. Air Canada could not afford a seasonal service to Delhi for just the winter months, so decided to discontinue Delhi on the route map, choosing to introduce new Chinese destinations instead. Air Canada has retained a commitment to India by codesharing with Jet Airways, which flies to Toronto via Brussels. Passengers also originating in Canadian cities which have direct service to London Heathrow on Air Canada can transit to fly Jet Airways between London-Heathrow and Amritsar, Delhi and Mumbai. Air Canada also codeshares with Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines on Canada-India routes. During the 1990s, Air Canada also ran flights from both Vancouver and Toronto to Delhi, with both flights flying via London-Heathrow.
  • Air Kazakhstan (Almaty)
  • Air Ukraine (Kiev-Boryspil)Service cut due to collapse of airline.
  • Alitalia (Milan-Malpensa) Service was suspended after the carrier decided to abandon its dual hub strategy between Milan-Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino due to their financial crisis.
  • Ansett Australia (Broome, Darwin, Perth) Bankruptcy
  • Canada 3000 (Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver) Went out of business following September 11 attacks, ending flights in November 2001.
  • Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Frankfurt, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
  • El Al (Tel Aviv)
  • Eurofly (Rome-Fiumicino) Service cut due to lack of success on route.
  • Iraqi Airways (Baghdad)
  • LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw-Delhi-Singapore-Sydney), canceled in early 1990's
  • Myanmar Airways International (Yangon)
  • Northwest (Amsterdam)
  • Pan Am (New York-JFK, London-Heathrow, Frankfurt, Istanbul-Ataturk, Tehran-Mehrabad, Bangkok-Don Mueang, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Narita, San Francisco) bankruptcy
  • Paramount Airways (Chennai)-Domestic operation
  • Swissair (Zurich) Bankruptcy; operations restored by Swiss International Airlines
  • Tajik Air (Dushanbe)
  • TAROM (Bucharest-Otopeni)
  • United Airlines (Washington-Dulles, London-Heathrow, Hong Kong, Chicago-O'Hare). United Airlines originally started service to New Delhi in 1995, as part of its "Round the World Service" program. United Airlines used to run a flight from Dulles to New Delhi, with a stopover in Heathrow. United also used to run a daily Delhi-Hong Kong flight. These flights were originally suspended after the September 11th attacks and United finally canceled all service out of New Delhi in October 2001.

Future Services

Fixed base operators (FBO)

Caterers

  • Ambassador's SkyChef
  • Chef Air
  • Taj-Sats
  • Oberoi Flight Services

Fuelers

Ground handlers

  • Air India
  • Indian Airlines
  • GlobeGround India
  • Airworks India
  • Cambata Aviation
  • Livewel Aviation Services Pvt Ltd.
  • Concord Aviation Pvt Ltd.

References

External links

Search another word or see Indira_Gandhi_International_Airporton Dictionary | Thesaurus |Spanish
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature