Delhi airport gets two more maintenance hangars
“Earlier, GA aircraft and business jets had to travel an 8-10 km stretch, including crossing an active runway, to undergo maintenance at hangars near T1. This often lead to wastage of time and fuel. The old hangars at T1 have already been dismantled,” said a DIAL spokesperson.
Two maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hangars have been opened at the general aviation (GA) terminal of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport to serve business jets and other general aviation aircraft, said the airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Wednesday.
The two hangars -- each with around 2,000 sqm of floor space and space to accommodate six-eight midsize general aviation aircraft -- have been fully operational since last month, and does away with the need for aircraft to travel to terminal 1 (T1) for maintenance.
General aviation includes all flights other than scheduled commercial airlines, and largely caters to private aircraft and chartered flights.
DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said the dedicated GA facility and aircraft parking bays were the first of its kind in India. “This facility has put India at par with some of the world’s best airports. We have developed dedicated MRO hangars with world-class facilities near the GA terminal, which also are the first in the country. This facility not only benefits the aircraft operators but also helps Delhi airport in achieving its environmental sustainability goals,” he said.
The GA terminal handles an average of 36-38 air traffic movements each day.
At present, two concessionaires -- Bird Execujet Airport Services Private Limited and Indamer MJets Airport Services Private Limited -- are operating the GA terminal at the airport, which was inaugurated in September 2020.
“These FBO (fixed based operators)-MRO operators exclusively take care of all the requirements of passengers travelling by private aircraft and chartered flights and also provide maintenance of these GA flights,” said a DIAL spokesperson, adding that the new hangars will not only save time and money for operators, but also reduce environmental pollution.
“Earlier, GA aircraft and business jets had to travel an 8-10 km stretch, including crossing an active runway, to undergo maintenance at hangars near T1. This often lead to wastage of time and fuel. The old hangars at T1 have already been dismantled,” said a DIAL spokesperson.