NEW DELHI: Amid monsoon rain, there is some good news for the fliers as New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Friday launched the fourth runway. With its launch, it became the only airport in the country to have four runways.
The launch of the 4.4-kilometre runway was held following the tradition of welcoming an aeroplane through water showers fired from fire-tenders at both sides of the runway.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation and chief guest Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State (Civil Aviation) General VK Singh, GMR chairman GM Rao and Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal were present on the occasion.
“Today, we have inaugurated the fourth runway at IGI. The airport experiences 1400 to 1500 air traffic movements (ATM) per day, so far. With the addition of this fourth runway, the ATM will increase up to 2000 per day,” Scindia later said.
“The IGI is the only airport in the country, where there will be four runways for flight operations. This is a big achievement for India,” the Union minister added.
🚀 News Flash: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates 4th runway & dual elevated Eastern Cross Taxiways at Delhi’s IGI Airport, making it India’s first airport with 4 runways. Flight operations to increase from 1.4k to 2k per day, reports @AlokReporter pic.twitter.com/0AwC0MdAyG
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) July 14, 2023
Scindia also said the work for the expansion of the airport terminal will end in October. With this, the airport’s capacity of passengers handled per day will reach up to 109 million (approximately 11 crore) per annum.
“After October, the passenger capacity of IGI will be greater than some of the busiest airports in the world, like Atlanta and John F Kennedy,” Scindia added.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates Eastern Cross Taxiways & fourth runway at Delhi airport. Improved efficiency & reduced wait times for passengers, minister says✈️🛫@AlokReporter reports pic.twitter.com/lI1qT9kFS0
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) July 14, 2023
The runway, parallel to the third runway (11/29) on the Southern side, is an integral part of the Phase 3A expansion project undertaken by the Delhi International Airport Limited, a consortium led by GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited, to make Delhi Airport future-ready.
Scindia also inaugurated the newly made Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT) which will help reduce the taxing time of aircraft at the airport. This taxiway, which is constructed on the bridge, will reduce the taxing time from 20 minutes to 10-12 minutes.
The fourth runway would handle the increased traffic movement and, along with the dual Elevated Cross Taxiways (ECT) would help reduce carbon emissions significantly.
It would be the first step for the Delhi Airport to move towards its goal of becoming a “Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by 2030”. The ECT will also help in reducing about 55,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to planting about 15 lakh trees.
Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO-DIAL, said, “This significant milestone at Delhi Airport reaffirms our commitment to excellence in delivering world-class aviation infrastructure.”
“The successful completion of the 4th Runway and Eastern Cross Taxiway would not have been possible without the concerted efforts and support of various teams, including the Civil Aviation Ministry, AERA, AAI, BCAS, CISF, contractors, and airport personnel,” he said.
“Their unwavering support and cooperation throughout this transformative endeavour have paved the way for enhanced connectivity and operational capabilities at Delhi Airport,” he added.