Come April, fly out in style

New Delhi: Come April and air passengers can look forward to a world-class experience at IGI airport. The new departure terminal for domestic flights 1D was inaugurated by civil aviation minister Praful Patel in the presence of chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday. According to officials, the new terminal will accommodate upto 10 million passengers per year and boasts of 72 check-in counters and a four level inline baggage checking system.
While the new terminal is not going to be ready for use till April, it was inaugurated in February to beat the electoral code of conduct which will come into effect the moment poll dates are announced.
According to officials, all domestic airlines except Air India and MDLR will shift operations to the new terminal from April. Kingfisher, which currently operates from terminal 1B, will eventually shift to 1A. "A decision on 1B, once it becomes defunct in April, is yet to be taken. It could be used for private planes or it may also be demolished,'' said a senior ministry official.
From April, passengers at the new terminal will no longer have to queue up to get their baggage X-rayed before checking in. With the four-level inline baggage handling system, passengers can simply walk up to the check-in counters, deposit their luggage and collect their boarding passes. This system allows greater space for passenger amenities. In addition, the baggage scanning and assembly area is at the lower level freeing space at the departure level for passenger facilities.
27/02/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Feb 2009