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Delhi airport plans 20% capacity increase by 2030
The Delhi airport is planning to raise its annual handling capacity from 10.5 crore passengers to 12.5 crore through targeted expansions at Terminals 1 and 3
New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is set for a major capacity upgrade, one that will add nearly 20% more passengers by 2029-30 without dismantling Terminal 2 (T2), its chief executive officer (CEO) Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said on Wednesday.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which manages the airport, plans to raise IGIA’s annual handling capacity from 10.5 crore passengers to 12.5 crore through targeted expansions at Terminals 1 and 3, rather than building a new terminal immediately.
DIAL chief executive officer (CEO) Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said the increase will come from three key projects - constructing a new Pier “E” at Terminal 3, which will add 1-1.2 crore passengers annually (CPA), easing congestion at Terminal 1, and creating additional aircraft parking stands at T3.
“We are working on the master plan. Based on that, in a month or so we will know whether the proposed 1-1.2 CPA Pier E, which should be ready at T3 in 2-3 years, will be domestic or international. We expect to exhaust our (existing) 10.5 CPA capacity in 3-4 years,” Jaipuriar said at an aviation conference.
Terminal 3 currently has four piers - two each for domestic and international operations.
One domestic pier will be converted for international use this winter, leaving the terminal with three for international and one for domestic flights. It is learnt that the upcoming Pier E, expected to be ready in about three years, will give DIAL the flexibility to assign it for domestic or international operations based on traffic trends.
The airport’s long-term master plan still includes replacing the ageing T2 - built in 1986 and handling about 1.5 crore passengers, with a much larger terminal. However, that plan has been deferred for now.
T2, refurbished and reopened in October will remain in use “for the foreseeable future,” Jaipuriar said.
He added that DIAL will consider T2’s replacement only once passenger numbers cross a critical threshold. “Beginning work on its successor depends on the trigger of traffic,” he said, explaining that airports typically begin the next phase of expansion once 80% of capacity is utilised.
“Based on projections, IGIA’s 12.5 CPA capacity will be reached by 2029-30, meaning the 10-crore passenger mark could be crossed in three to four years,” he said.
The airport handled just under 8 crore passengers in 2024.
As for the immediate future, Jaipuriar said Delhi Airport is ready for the upcoming winter rush with the help of a data-driven system.
“With the help of our ‘airport predictive operation centre’ (APOC), data is generated and shared with all stakeholders like airlines, CISF and the Bureau of Immigration. This gives us a fairly accurate passenger footfall expected each hour, allowing personnel deployment by stakeholders accordingly at all touch points like terminal entry and check-in,” he said.
“With APOC and the upgraded runway 10, we don’t anticipate major flight disruptions this year unless there is prolonged fog,” he said.
