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Delhi airport is better known as Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)

Delhi Airport

Delhi airport is better known as Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). It is one of the major gateways to India and connects North India to the rest of the world. New Delhi airport caters to both international and domestic travelers. The airport is the busiest in India in terms of daily flight operations and second busiest in terms of passenger volume. It was operated by the Indian Air force in the past and was a part of the Palam Airport, before its transfer to the Airport Authority of India. The management of the airport was passed on to Delhi International Airport Limited, a joint venture led by GMR group, in 2006.

History
Indira Gandhi International Airport came into being as Palam Airport, around World War II. After the independence of India, it came to serve as an Air Force Station for the Indian Air Force, with the passenger operations being carried out from Safdarjung Airport. It was only in 1962 that the passenger operations were shifted to Palam, primarily because of an increase in air traffic. At that time, it had a peak capacity of around 1300 passengers per hour. Later, in the 1970s, an additional terminal was added to the airport, which had spread over an area nearly four times that of the old Palam terminal. In 1986, yet another terminal - Terminal 2, was added and the airport was also renamed as Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

Airport Structure
The Domestic Airport has four terminals, i.e. Terminal 1A, 1B, 1C & 1D. Terminal 1A caters to domestic flights of Go Air, Indian Airlines and Air India Regional. Flights of other scheduled private airlines viz. IndiGo, Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher Airline, Kingfisher Red and SpiceJet, operate from terminal 1D, along with other executive aircraft/ private aviation activities. Since Terminal 1D came into operation, 1B has been closed. As for Terminal 1C, it caters to the arrivals of the airlines operating from Terminal 1A & 1D. The International Terminal (Terminal 2) caters to the airlines flying to major cities across the world. The airport also has a cargo terminal to handle cargo operations and a separate Hajj terminal for catering to the rush during Hajj.

Expansion & Up-gradation
The magnificent and ultra-modern international Terminal T3 is the eighth largest passenger terminal in the world. Spread across 502,000 sq. m., the terminal is capable of handling 34 million passengers annually. With 168 check-in counters, 78 aerobridges at 48 contact stands, 30 parking bays, 72 immigration counters, 15 X-ray screening areas, duty-free shops, and various other facilities, the terminal is a complete package offered to passengers at any tourist destination. The T3 has India’s first automated parking management and guidance system to its credit, featuring a 7-level car park that can accommodate as many as 4300 cars.

The domestic airport, too, has been given a modified look. Terminal 1D is the new domestic terminal that operates flights from Delhi across all major cities of India. However, all full fare domestic flights are due to transfer to the terminal T3, which caters to international flights. Henceforth, 1D will be exclusively engaged in operating low cost carriers. Presently, 1D handles 10 million passengers per year. In future, international flights, in turn, would be transferred to Terminal 4 and 5, upon the completion of their construction, while Terminal 3 would be solely used by domestic carriers.

Airlines
IGI Airport is serviced by as many as 60 airlines. It serves as the main hub of Indian Airlines, SpiceJet, Air India Regional and IndiGo Airlines, apart from being the second base of Air India and Jet Airways (after Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai).

Terminal 1 (Domestic Flights
Terminal 2 (International Flights)
Cargo Terminal
Passenger Facilities
Contact Details
Delhi International Airport (P) Limited
Registered Office: New Udaan Bhawan,
Terminal 3, Opposite ATC Complex,
International Terminal,
Indira Gandhi International Airport,
New Delhi - 110 037
Phone: +91 - 11 47197001
Fax: +91 - 11 47197034
Call Centre: +91 - 124 3376000

Last Updated on 24th September, 2010