Low traffic: DIAL changes course mid-way

New Delhi: Faced with a sharp decline in the number of flights, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has pushed the deadline for completing the construction of the new domestic terminal, 1D, to the first quarter of next year.
The deadline for opening the terminal, which was supposed to house private carriers, has already been postponed once from August to the end of this year.
Sources at the airport also said the plan for an interim international terminal had been discarded due to a decline in traffic.
A DIAL spokesperson said: “The new domestic terminal, 1D, will be operational in the first quarter of 2009. According to the mandate, all existing terminals are being modernised by DIAL and their capacities enhanced.” The spokesperson added that in addition to the mandated upgrade of the existing terminals, DIAL decided to set up a new domestic terminal to meet the traffic demand.
The various expansions, the spokesperson said, would enhance the total capacity of the airport to over 25 million passengers per annum by early 2009, up from 12 million.
On plans for an interim international terminal, he said, “The enhanced overall capacity (in the existing international terminal) will be able to meet the projected demand without setting up the referred temporary terminal (interim international terminal), which was just an option at an evaluation level. The decision to have a temporary terminal was never taken,” he said.
14/10/08 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports Oct 2008