IGI airport makeover snippets

Delhi's integrated 4.4 million sq ft terminal 3, that is coming up next to the present international terminal, should be ready by March 31, 2010, after which all international and domestic full-fare carriers will shift there. The domestic terminal will be used exclusively for low-cost carriers, cargo and maybe general aviation.Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) officials say that T3 itself will have a capacity of 37 million passengers per annum (mppa) and the IGI airport will have a combined capacity of 60 mppa. While several new roads and a dedicated Metro link will service the new terminal, the present domestic terminals will be put to various uses. Terminal 1B may be used for general aviation though there is no concrete plan for it in place yet. The new terminal 1B, that is still not ready, will be used for low-cost carriers and will have the distinction of being the first dedicated low-cost terminal in the country. Terminal 1A will also be part of this. The domestic arrival will accordingly be used as arrival for the low-cost carriers and general aviation. The international terminal will also continue to remain in use, though its purpose has not been decided yet. The new terminal will boast of 90 walkalators, 47 escalators and 70 lifts, other than an inline baggage check system. Both the domestic and international passengers will be serviced with six baggage belts each while both will be checked in through 168 common counters. For faster security clearance, there will be 16 x-ray machines for domestic users and 14 for international. There will also be 48 immigration counters and 50 emigration counters. Access to the airport will also become much easier. The domestic departure will be serviced by a special ramp while the approach road to the arrival terminal will go from under that, ensuring that there is no traffic congestion on the approach roads. The new terminal, meanwhile, will be accessible through several new routes, which include tunnel roads. These include a roundabout at Dwarka that will come up in the next 10 months, a northern access road that will come via the Dwarka circle. This will become an underpass running parallel to the Jumbo point and open into the main access road for the new terminal. Similarly, a Mahipalpur underpass will start from Ryan Public School in Vasant Kunj and take one directly to the airport. This will be a 2km long, 30m wide tunnel road.