A 'terminal' solution to Delhi's air travel woes

Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport is ready and will be operational from mid-July. HT Correspondent reports.

Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport is ready and will be operational from mid-July.

HT Image

Terminal 3 will cater to all international and most domestic airlines and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 3.

International flight operations will begin from July 14 and domestic operations from July 30-31.

Spread over 5.4 million sq ft, T3 ranks among the six largest airport terminal in the world after airports in Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Mexico City.

The building's sprawling piers stretch over 1.2 km, from one end to the other. To help passengers cover the distance, T3 will have 97 travelators, in addition to 63 elevators and 31 escalators.

The huge size of the new terminal is evident right from the point where passengers will drive up the ramp and reach the departure area, thanks to a 300 metre long area for 'meeters and greeters'.

There is a separate building coming up next to T3 — airport connect — that will link the terminal with the multi level car parking and the Metro Airport Link. With a capacity to accommodate 4,300 cars, the parking lot is the biggest in the country.

There will be six common check-in islands for international and domestic passengers and 168 check in counters in all.

There will be special low level counters for disabled passengers. Private airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) claims the total time taken between entering the terminal and boarding the aircraft will come down dramatically. Transit passengers wouldn't have to spend their time at lounges in T3 — there is a transit hotel inside the terminal with 68 rooms for domestic and 32 rooms for international passengers.

While the existing domestic terminals don't have any, T3 will have 78 carpet covered aerobridges with different colours – green and red for international and yellow and orange for domestic flights.

Passengers arriving at T3 will be greeted by a 28-metre-high 'canyon' with natural lighting. A special art installation displaying different dance 'Mudras' through giant palms and other murals will give the canyon an Indian feel.

T3 will have five level in-line Baggage Handling System with explosive detection technology. The total length of conveyor belts is 6,400 meters to handle 12,800 bags in an hour.