IGI Airport, New Delhi - Travelops Impact

THIS NEWS APPEARED IN THE TIMES OF INDIA - IT MIGHT BE JUST A COINCIDENCE, BUT NO HARM IN TAKING CREDIT FOR SETTING THE BALL ROLLING ;-)



NEW DELHI 31st AUGUST 2004: You will be floating into a modern-looking Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, there will be none of the usual traffic chaos at the departure/arrival lounge, parking won't be a hassle, and visitors will have a separate 'meet and greet' area to themselves.

This is no wish-list for the distant future, this is just six months away. IGI airport is all set for an 'interim' makeover; the renovation will be carried out at both the domestic and international terminals.

"Since the modernisation venture of the Delhi/Mumbai airports may take three to five years, we thought it would be only proper to renovate and modernise on an interim basis. This exercise will be complete by March 31," minister for civil aviation Praful Patel said.

There is solace for those who have experienced nighttime rush hour at the airport, and the arrival and departure levels will be expanded. Patel admitted: "It hardly looks like an international airport."



IGI airport director P S Nair said the revamping process will be undertaken in two phases. One of the important components of the makeover is altering the traffic flow for which IIT has prepared a plan. This includes a separate lane for private cars and taxis and exclusive vehicular circulation for VIPs.

Moreover, "additional area will be created through earth filling, there will be a separate 'meet and greet' area for visitors," Nair added. An electronically enclosed parking system is also in the offing, he added. Passengers can also expect more immigration counters. "We are talking to the ministry of home affairs on how to quicken the immigratiton process.

There will be a swagat service where people can get swifter service if they pay more," Patel added. Parking spaces will also be redesigned. At the departure level, there will be dedicated lanes and parking bays for private vehicles and public transport. Six additional taxi bays will be created in the second phase.

Besides that there will be passenger pick-up lane with eight bays.

UPDATE ON 9th NOVEMBER, 2006: This was a load of crap.... no such improvements ever happened. However, since the airport was handed over to a private consortium a few months ago, it seems as if things might improve now.