New Delhi, Aug 14
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Airport Infrastructure consortium that operates and manages Delhi Airport, announced on Wednesday that the newly expanded Terminal 1 will be operational from August 17.
The new terminal was developed as part of the Phase 3A expansion project by DIAL and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 10.
DIAL has worked with IndiGo and SpiceJet to make necessary preparations for shifting of flight operations from T2 and T3 to T1. As per the plan, SpiceJet would shift their 13 flights to Terminal 1 from August 17, and subsequently IndiGo would move back their 34 flights from T2 and T3 to T1 from September 2.
The older T-1 building is still under repair and only the new building will be opened for passengers on August 17, airport officials said.
On June 28, a part of the metal canopy over Terminal 1 collapsed due to heavy rainfall, killing one person and injuring eight others. After the incident, IndiGo and SpiceJet, which majorly used T-1, shifted their flight operations to Terminals 2 and 3.
"Delhi Airport is glad to announce the operationalisation of new Terminal 1 from August 17. The state-of-the-art Terminal 1 will significantly boost our capacity, easing pressure on Terminals 2 and 3. Passengers can expect a smoother travel experience with improved amenities and advanced technology," said DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar.
All passengers flying by SpiceJet flights will have to enter through Gate A on the ground floor. Passengers taking IndiGo flights will have to enter the new terminal through Gates 5 and 6 on the first floor.
DIAL has put up signage at strategic locations, including on road markings, indicating direction to the departures for the convenience of IndiGo and SpiceJet passengers. Also, DIAL will deploy RAXA guards to help the passengers and direct them to IndiGo and SpiceJet departures.
For arrivals, passengers would have to take the same arrival route to come out of the terminal.
For the convenience of the passengers, DIAL has introduced 'Queue-Buster: Mobile Check-in Service' at the new terminal which will help the fliers avoid long queues at the check-in counters.
There are also other facilities like Automated Tray Retrieval System (ATRS), Individual Carrier System (ICS), Common Usage Self Service (CUSS), Aerobridges, and Self Baggage Drop (SBD) kiosks, among others.
The expansion work was carried out as per the Master Plan 2016 after Delhi Airport witnessed a massive surge in Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) and passenger footfalls.