Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI for short) is the busiest airport in India,
catering to over 67 million passengers every year. The airport has a long aviation history,
dating back to the 1930s. Let’s dig into the past of IGI and its rise to the busiest in India.
The airport traces its beginnings back to the Palam Airport. Palam first began as a
Royal Air Force base during the Second World War, serving British war efforts in Asia and beyond.
After India’s independence, Palam continued to serve as an Indian Air Force base
until the government decided to change its purpose due to the rise of commercial aviation in India.
In 1962, Palam officially became a passenger airport, initially handling a maximum of 1,300
passengers an hour.. However, the airport was eventually expanded with a new terminal in 1969.
Palam continued to grow dramatically and by the 1970s it was host to long-haul flights
and more international travel. Air India has historically been based out of New Delhi,
flying the Boeing 747 to cities like London and beyond. Foreign airlines like Pan Am also entered
India, putting Delhi at the center of the action. However, as air traffic boomed in India, Palam
Airport was struggling to keep with the traffic. This meant the airport was ready for another
expansion, and along with it, a rechristening. In May 1986, a new terminal (Terminal 2)
was constructed and Palam Airport was officially renamed Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The airport is named after former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who died in 1984. With two
active terminals, IGI had a much-needed capacity boost to see it through the coming decade.
T2 served as the new hub for international flights, while T1 continued its role as the
primary domestic facility. Delhi continued to have only these two terminals until 2010.
With Terminals 1 and 2 overwhelmed by the early 2000s,
Delhi once again needed a bigger and better airport for its growing passenger volumes.
This time, the government opted to hand over the management and construction of the airport to
a private group, with the contract being awarded in 2006. This marked the beginning of Terminal 3.
The construction of T3 took place from 2006 to 2010, taking just over three years in total.
Opening in July 2010, 24 years since Delhi had a new terminal, T2 was shut down for renovations.
In addition to international services, select airlines also moved their domestic
operations to T3, including Air India. T3 has gone on to win several accolades
for its service and design, elevating its global status as a hub. While the terminal can
quickly become crowded as traffic increases, it is undoubtedly far better than IGI’s older offerings.
While IGI Airport might be one of the best in South Asia, its staggered development means
that it faces several issues. One major problem has been with connectivity between terminals,
with no airside connectivity between the three facilities. While T2 and T3 are fairly close,
reaching T1 can take 15 minutes on a normal day and longer with traffic.
With no centralized airport planning and construction,
Delhi struggles to offer the easy connectivity seen at other major airports globally.
Indira Gandhi International Airport is currently in the midst of completing its fourth runway,
considerably increasing capacity. This additional runway could be operational as soon as September
2021, doubling the capacity of T1 in the short run. Located next to T3, the new runway can handle
Code F aircraft like the A380 and 747. While air traffic fell by nearly 67%
in 2020, Delhi expects to rebound fairly quickly. To this end,
IGI plans to expand its capacity to 100 million passengers by 2022 and eventually 140 million.
With over 90 years of history, Indira Gandhi International Airport has come a long way since
its humble beginnings as a military airfield. Have you ever flown to or through this
airport? What were your impressions of it? Let us know in the comments!