Fifth largest airport ready for July take-off

New Delhi: The new integrated airport terminal is just three months away from completion. In the first week of July, after three months of extensive trials, it will finally be thrown open to passengers. Times City gives you a sneak peek into what is in store for us when the fifth largest airport in the world becomes operational in the capital.
The under-construction terminal, meant to accommodate 34 million passengers annually, is a hub of frenetic activity as labourers and officials are struggling against a tough deadline to complete the work. The first thing that captures your attention is the sheer size of the building.
Compared to the older terminal buildings, the new terminal is spacious, modern and, thanks to the generous use of glass, brilliantly lit. A walk through the building might take your the entire day. Spread across 5.2 lakh sq m, each pier to which the 78 boarding bridges have been connected is 1.2 km long.
A whopping 22,000 workmen are working here round the clock. ‘‘We were set back by three months during a problem with the workers earlier this year. Had things been on track, we would not have needed more than 10,000 workers. However, since we have no option but to finish work on at least the entire passenger area by March 31, we have had to increase the manpower. At present, about 85% of the work has been completed,’’ said I Prabhakar Rao, CEO (airport development), DIAL.
‘‘By the first week of July, all airlines will start moving in. This will also mean maximum utilisation of the new runway as it will take barely a few minutes for an aircraft to taxi to the terminal after landing on runway 29/11,’’ said officials.
29/12/09 Neha Lalchandani/Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Dec 2009, New Dec 2009