Domestic flights from T3 put off till Nov 14

Delays seem to be plaguing the Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport no end. The shifting of domestic flight operations to Terminal 3 has been put off, yet again.

Delays seem to be plaguing the Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport no end. The shifting of domestic flight operations to Terminal 3 has been put off, yet again.

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The Ministry of Civil Aviation has now decided to begin operations only from November 14 onwards.

The Hindustan Times had earlier reported that the move, scheduled to take place this Saturday, could be delayed as a lot of work was still pending. However, in a review meeting held on Monday, citing connectivity issues, the shifting was postponed further.

“To ensure the least amount of inconvenience to passengers, it was decided at the review meeting that domestic operations of Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher airlines from T3 would begin from November 14,” said a ministry spokesperson.

Representatives of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), various airlines, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Police, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation were present at the meeting.

“We want to start domestic operations at the T3 only when there is good connectivity. The airport express line of the DMRC would be ready by mid-November,” said a ministry official.

“Also, integration of the Dwarka Underpass is expected to be complete by the end of October. But it would still require trial runs and simulations to ensure smooth flow of traffic, which is expected by mid November.

“Keeping all these factors in mind, the shifting has been postponed till November 14,” the official added.

Vehicular traffic is expected to increase during Diwali — another factor that made the ministry delay the shifting.

The airlines, too, had earlier raised concerns over traffic and power problems that could affect passengers if domestic operations were shifted to T3.