Delhi airport Terminal 1 to reopen from Oct 31, nearly 19 months after closure

DIAL officials said that they have taken several safety measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, as directed by the Government of India. Officials said the two flights operators functioning from the terminal before the pandemic, IndiGo and SpiceJet, will resume operations when it reopens

The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Friday announced that the operations at Terminal 1 (T1) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) will resume from October 31, nearly 19 months after it suspended operations due to Covid concerns and later for renovations.

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL, said DIAL teams have worked round-the-clock to sanitise the vast terminal. (Vipin Kumar/HT Archive)

DIAL officials said that they have taken several safety measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, as directed by the Government of India.

Officials said the two flights operators functioning from the terminal before the pandemic, IndiGo and SpiceJet, will resume operations when it reopens. An IndiGo flight departing for Mumbai at 1.05am is the first flight scheduled from T1 after its reopening.

“Delhi airport is all set to reopen for domestic flight operations at T1 after 18 months (nearly 19 months by October end) of shutdown. With the resumption of the third terminal, Delhi airport will be functional completely. We would like to assure passengers that at Delhi airport, they would be in a safe and healthy environment. We have implemented several measures at the airport to ensure passenger safety without compromising their comfort and experience,” said Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL.

He said DIAL teams have worked round-the-clock to sanitise the vast terminal. “DIAL will continue its awareness drive by educating and encouraging passengers to maintain social distancing at the airport,” he said.

Commercial operations of domestic and international flights from IGI airport were suspended from March 24, 2020, in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The airport resumed operations in a phased manner, opening Terminal 3 on may 25, 2020, and subsequently opening up Terminal 2 on July 22, 2021.

Speaking of the arrangements at Terminal 1, an official said that six CUSS (common-use self-service) kiosks will be available for passengers for web check-in before entering the Departure forecourt. Additionally, arrangements have also been made for thermal scanning of passengers as per government guidelines. Further, DIAL said it will also have facilities to isolate suspected Covid-19 passengers at the airport.

At the check-in area, to avoid close contact and crowding at the counters, passengers will be encouraged to use the e-boarding scanners for entry to the security and frisking points.

Meanwhile, at the security check area, queue managers will ensure social distancing between CISF personnel and passengers.

The area will also have floor markings and installation of automatic hand sanitiser at various places.

Standard operating procedures also include measures for tray disinfection to ensure the safety of passengers. Auto sanitiser dispensing machines have also been kept for passengers to use after security checks.

Alternate seating arrangements are also in place at the boarding gates and queue managers will be deployed at boarding and bussing gates.

DIAL said it will encourage passengers to wear masks and maintain social distancing at all times.

“A team of housekeeping personnel have been deployed to ensure a clean and sanitised terminal for passengers round the clock. The staff will be thermally screened and checked for symptoms before going on with their duties. Regular sanitisation of high contact surfaces, such as desks, chairs, elevators, railings, CUSS, trolleys, handles, trays, baggage belts, etc. inside the terminals will be carried out. Apart from these, washrooms will be closed every hour to sanitise all surfaces,” said an official.

Currently, Delhi airport sees around 1,000 aircraft, including chartered flights, carrying over 1 lakh passengers, at T3 and T2 terminals. DIAL estimates reopening of T1 will increase aircraft traffic by another 200 flights.