The Terminal 3 (T3) of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi will soon be able to manage 50% more international passengers than it currently does. The Terminal 3, which is also the largest terminal of IGIA, currently handles 2 crore passengers annually, which is set to rise to 3 crores.
T3 has four major wings, also called piers. Until now, two of these were used for domestic flights and two for international operations. However, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which operates IGIA, has received all the required approvals to convert one domestic pier into an international one, The Times of India reported.
The work has already begun and is expected to be completed by December this year. After this conversion, T3 will be able to handle about 3 crore international passengers annually while the domestic capacity at T3 will come down to about 1.8 crore passengers.
According to the officials, four separate clearances were required to start the work, from the Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), customs, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
As per TOI, the final approval came from BCAS last week, allowing DIAL to move ahead. Pier C of T3 will continue handling domestic traffic till T2, which has been closed for repairs since April 15, 2025, becomes operational any time after the middle of next month, October. After that, Pier C at T3 will be shut for passenger use in November and finally reopened in December as the third international pier.
In February, DIAL’s CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar had pointed out earlier this year that T3 was handling 67,000-68,000 international travellers every day, which translates to about 2.4 crore flyers annually. “T3's international capacity is 2 CPA and it is handling 20% more than that. That's why one domestic pier at T3 is being converted to international. This process will take 4-5 months and take T3's international capacity to about 3.2 CPA,” Jaipuriar was quoted by TOI as saying.
DIAL also plans to build a new Pier E at T3, with the ability to handle another 1 crore international passengers annually. This new pier is expected to be ready by the end of 2028, taking T3’s total international capacity to 4 crore passengers a year. At that stage, the future of the ageing Terminal 2, built in 1986, will be reconsidered.
Much will depend on the passenger traffic impact of the upcoming Noida International Airport (NIA), expected to share traffic from the National Capital Region. If NIA significantly reduces IGIA’s load, T2 may remain operational for another 3-5 years before being demolished to make space for a larger Terminal 4. Constructing a new terminal of that scale takes around three and a half years, the report said.
Meanwhile, IGIA is also waiting for another important update. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will this week inspect the airport’s main Runway 28/10, which has been closed for repairs since earlier this year.
If cleared, it could reopen next week. With the runway back in use and T2 reopening soon, IGIA will become the first Indian airport with a handling capacity of over 10 crore passengers annually. With three active terminals, four runways, and upgraded airside facilities, the airport will be capable of handling up to 86 flights every hour.
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