IGI country’s busiest airport now, says Patel

New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi International Airport is busier than the Mumbai airport, and that’s official now. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel says the Delhi airport handles the maximum number of passengers and flights in the country every day.
“Mumbai used to be, in most matters, the commercial capital of India with 40 per cent more flights than Delhi in 2004. Surprisingly, Delhi has now overtaken Mumbai in the number of flights handled,” Patel said at the Idea Exchange programme with The Indian Express.
The minister, though, accepted that certain infrastructure-related shortcomings still exist at the Delhi airport.
Passengers rue the long distance an aircraft has to cover after touchdown at IGI — from the new runway (29-11) to the new domestic terminal building (1D). Patel said the long taxiing time is an issue that would get resolved when the entire airport operations moves to the terminal building T3, being constructed at present.
The taxiing time at IGI Airport is a result of the distance — 9 kilometres — between the new domestic departures terminal (T1D) and new runway 29-11. After touchdown, an aircraft has to taxi this distance to reach the terminal building.
To work on the issue, the Airports Authority of India has now decided to use the two main runways (28-10 and 29-11) in mixed mode: domestic flights use runway 28-10, which is close to domestic terminal 1D, while international flight operations take place from the new runway — 29-11.
13/08/09 Express India

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Categories: Airports Aug 2009