Delhi Airport’s New Terminal 1 to Fully Operate from April 15

New Delhi- Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is set for a major operational shift as its new Terminal 1 (T1) will become fully operational from April 15, while Terminal 2 (T2) will temporarily shut down next month for refurbishment.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the airport operator, announced on Thursday that with T1 resuming full operations, all flights currently operating from T2 — primarily those of IndiGo and Akasa Air — will be shifted to T1. Presently, T2 handles around 270-280 air traffic movements and serves over 46,000 passengers daily.

The expansion and modernization of T1 were completed under the Phase 3A expansion project, with the integrated terminal being dedicated to the nation in March last year. The revamped T1 now features 100 check-in counters, including 36 Self Baggage Drop (SBD) kiosks, 108 Common Usage Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks, and 20 Automated Tray Retrieval Systems (ATRS) to streamline security checks. The baggage handling capacity has also been doubled from 3,240 to 6,000 bags per hour.

Additionally, the terminal area has expanded significantly — from 55,740 sq m to 2,06,950 sq m — merging the arrival and departure terminals to enhance passenger experience. T1 now has the capacity to handle 40 million passengers annually, compared to T2’s capacity of 15 million.

DIAL had earlier indicated that T2, a four-decade-old terminal, would close for four to six months in the next financial year for refurbishment. The upgrade work is expected to be completed by the September quarter.

IGIA, India’s busiest airport, operates three terminals — T1, T2, and T3. Currently, T1 and T2 serve only domestic flights. Once the transition is complete, airlines have been asked to plan accordingly to ensure a smooth shift of operations to the upgraded T1.