Delhi Airpot T1: Will you get a better Terminal-1 by March?



The Union aviation ministry in New Delhi is set to decide the timing of repair work at IGIA Terminal-1 next week. Larsen & Toubro has developed a four-month design and restoration plan for Terminal-1, which is managed by GMR-backed Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). The government will decide if the work should start soon to finish by March or begin after winter, sources told ToI.

“The L&T plan has been run by IIT Delhi. There was some thinking on allowing T1 to handle some more flights till the repair work is complete. But DIAL was not in favour of the same as a matter of abundant precaution,” sources said.

In June, heavy rain caused the collapse of a canopy and part of Terminal-1’s roof, built in 2009-10, resulting in one fatality. Despite its capacity to handle four crore passengers annually, Terminal-1 is operating at reduced capacity. The government has set up a committee of IIT Delhi’s structural engineers to investigate the roof collapse.

This terminal-side capacity issue follows last winter’s problem with fog landings at the airport, where only one runway had a CAT III instrument landing system. Current congestion at Terminals 2 and 3 is expected to reduce once Terminal-1 is fully operational.

Also, the air train project at the airport is progressing. Potential bidders are conducting site visits, with bids due by December 19. According to sources, if everything proceeds as planned, the tender may be awarded in January, and work could begin a few months later.


(With ToI inputs)

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