The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi is expected to meet multiple global parameters to be deemed an international airport hub within the next two years, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, chief executive officer of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said on April 11.
DIAL, the airport operator of IGI Airport expects annual international passenger traffic at the airport to surpass the 24 million annual passenger count within the next couple of years. Currently, the airport accommodates approximately 22 million international passengers annually, Jaipuriar said.
He added that a global consultancy study, done by Arthur D Little, has identified key benchmarks that Delhi airport must meet to qualify as an international hub—and IGI Airport is closing in on those targets.
Jaipuriar said that another parameter DIAL was closing in on was international connecting traffic. In order to be classified as an international airport hub, international connecting traffic to and from the airport should make up around 30 percent of the airport's total international traffic handled, and currently 26 percent or 5.5 million annual international passengers from Delhi are classified as connecting traffic.
"Delhi airport is connected to 70 international destinations. Out of 70 international destinations, there are nine destinations in North America and 18 destinations in Europe. So total weekly frequency of hours between North America and Europe which we consider as long haul is about 280 frequencies in a week," Jaipuriar said, adding that DIAL handles more international long haul flights that Singapore Airport.
Improving connectivity to Asia–Pacific (APAC) region
He highlighted plans to enhance connectivity with the Asia Pacific region, specifically targeting Australia and New Zealand. Jaipuriar added that DIAL has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Auckland Airport to bolster bilateral ties. He added that the airport is waiting for the availability of the right kind of aircraft to improve connectivity to the region.
Jaipuriar also said that DIAL has seen an increase in international transit passenger traffic from Singapore to Paris, Dubai to Hong Kong, Sri Lanka to Europe and Thailand to Europe due to increased frequency of flights from Delhi to Europe in the last year.
Currently only around 3 percent of the air traffic at IGI is international-to-international (I-to-I), and DIAL aims to grow that share to 10 percent in the next five years, Jaipuriar said. He added that DIAL has already seen a 300 percent increase in I-to-I passenger transfers, with noticeable growth in traffic flows from Southeast Asia to Europe.
Jaipuriar said the idea of promoting Delhi airport as a hub aligns with the government’s vision and that Indian airlines currently cater to around 50 percent of the international passenger traffic flowing through IGI airport currently. This trend expected to strengthen as Indian airlines induct wide-body aircraft into their fleet.
"However, we still need to improve the transit experience. While the airport infrastructure is improving, challenges remain, such as the connection between terminals T1 and T3," he said, adding that plans include increasing bus frequencies and adding bus waiting lounges at T1 and T3.
Baggage drop-off pilot project
The DIAL CEO also said that the airport has launched a pilot project that will allow passengers to drop their baggage at Terminal 3 (T3) post-customs and the baggage will then be transferred airside to Terminal 1 (T1), where their domestic flight departs.
DIAL has informed the government that it can transfer baggage from T3 to T1 in a matter of 120 minutes to ease international-to-domestic transfers.
Currently, passengers arriving from international destinations must collect their baggage at Terminal 3, exit the terminal, and travel to Terminal 1 from the city side to check-in their bags again. The new system aims to eliminate this hassle, with only the passenger needing to take the inter-terminal bus, Jaipuriar said.
“We’re doing this experiment along with aviation security and CISF for international-to-domestic transfers,” Jaipuriar added.
Boosting public transport connectivity
Jaipuriar also said that DIAL is working with Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) to boost utilization of its city check in facility at New Delhi metro station and Shivaji Stadium metro station. He added that the city check in facility at the metro stations will be revamped soon to make it easier for domestic customers to get their boarding passes.
Delhi airport has seen strong traffic recovery, handling 78.9 million passengers over the past year, a 6 percent increase over the previous year, and well above pre-COVID levels.
Last month, DIAL also introduced “slot banks” — a system that improves flight timing coordination and ensures faster connections. As part of the slot banks system, a group of flights arrive and depart at specific times — thus making connecting flights much easier and quicker — and will be a key step in establishing IGI as a passenger hub airport, officials said. Such systems are already operational in several top airports such as Changi in Singapore and Dubai.
DIAL currently handles around 1,500 flight slots, with slot allocation based on runway, terminal, and city-side infrastructure capacities.
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