Delhi International Airport has been one of the most important Airport of the country.

The Airport has three terminals that handle around 65.33 million passengers, including 15 million international passengers.

It handles an Airport traffic that is 49% more than the second largest airport in India, as per the Airports Authority of India, this year.

Post Covid, the Delhi International Airport has seen a 95% uptick in passenger load, from 5.02 lakh in March 2021 to 9.83 lakh  in March 2022, according to data from officials.

Due to the G20 summit in India, there has been other redevelopment plans, officials said the airport is expected to be able to handle over 100 million passengers a year from 2024 and connect to over 142 domestic and international destinations.

According to officials from the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), Phase 3A expansion work is going on which will elevate the airport as an international hub for all passengers. “Post completion of Phase 3A expansion work scheduled in 2023, the Delhi airport will become the only Indian airport whose terminals would be able to handle 100 million passengers per year,” said officials.

The new expansion area will be around 3,000 sqm and will have 7 F&B counters, 10 check-in counters, 15 frisking booths and 8 X-ray machines. This will help decrease waiting time and help more passengers, said officials.

In 2022, the airport catered to 15 million international passengers – 27.5% of India’s total international traffic – to become the highest among all Indian airports.

Between April 2022 and this February, the airport handled more than 14.50 million transfer passengers (hub traffic), including more than 3.37 lakh who were international to international transfer passengers.

“The government has asked the airport and some major airlines to examine global best practices on scheduling to ensure that international and domestic operations complement each other and provide enhanced connectivity from Delhi airport, essential for setting up India’s first international aviation hubs,” said DIAL in a press statement.

Over the past year, there have been several reports of passengers complaining of crowding, congestion and long lines.

Source: IndianExpress