Delhi airport: T2 to shut for refurbishment after T1 opens fully, fog tech upgrade for runway also on the cards

New Delhi

The Delhi airport’s Terminal 2 (T2) will be shut for four to five months starting April for refurbishment works, after Terminal 1 (T1) is made fully operational by mid-March, while technological upgrade of a runway to facilitate landings during fog will be undertaken simultaneously, officials of the airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), said on Wednesday.

Runway 10, the Dwarka-end of runway 10/28 will be non-operational during this period to facilitate upgrade to CAT IIIB standards, which will allow flights to operate in low-visibility conditions, a common issue during Delhi’s winter fog.

“T2 will shut down for four or five months starting April, after T1 restarts operating at its full capacity by mid-March. We have planned the shutting down of T2 and the upgrade of ILS to CAT IIIB simultaneously and it is expected that both the developmental works will be completed by August,” Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, chief executive officer of DIAL, said.

“The upgrade is planned to further improve flight operations at Delhi in the next fog season,” the CEO said.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) Airport is the only airport in the country to have four runways: namely 11R/29L, 11L/29R, 10/28, and 09/27. The 09/27 runway, which is the oldest of the four, cannot be upgraded to CAT IIIB due to its smaller size, restricting expansion, officials said.

“T1 is awaiting final approvals from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) which is expected soon. It will be fully operational once the approvals are in place,” Jaipuriar said.

IGI Airport comprises three terminals in all and has an annual passenger handling capacity of around 109 million.

T1 has a capacity of 40 million and T2 has a capacity of 15 million passengers per annum. To be sure, the passenger handling capacity of the terminal will remain the same, as the refurbishment of T2 will include changes to flooring, aerobridges, and washrooms, besides some structural repairs.

Due to rising traffic, the airport operator also plans to convert Pier C—a section of T3—which is currently used for domestic flights, into an international terminal. This expansion aims to accommodate the growing demand, and will take T3’s international capacity to 32 million.

“On average, we handle around 67,000 to 68,000 international passengers daily. If you multiply that by 365, it totals around 24 million passengers. The current rated capacity for T3’s international terminal is 20 million, so we’re operating at about 120% of its capacity,” Jaipuriar said.

“This upgrade will meet demand for the next four to five years, based on airline projections. It will, however, be done only in the last month before T2 could re-open,” Jaipuriar said.

Jaipuriar said that T3 was originally designed for 34 million international passengers, but is currently handling 45 million, which is a strain on the capacity.