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Airlines

India's Aviation Sector Takes Off with New Terminal T3 and Global Benchmarks

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Indian government's move to transform the country's aviation sector is gaining momentum with the completion of the new Integrated Terminal 3 (T3) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi. The terminal, built under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, has set a new global benchmark by being operational in just 37 months. The Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel, congratulated the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and the GMR Group on this achievement, highlighting the challenges ahead in maintaining and growing the terminal's capacity to meet the country's aviation needs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new Terminal 3 (T3) at the IGI Airport in New Delhi is a world-class infrastructure built under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, completed in just 37 months.
  • The terminal has the capacity to handle 35 million passengers per year, while the current traffic in Delhi is at 26 million passengers per year.
  • The terminal is expected to need capacity augmentation by approximately 2016, but the Master Plan of the IGI Airport envisions extension of the present terminal to accommodate growing traffic.
  • The Minister also highlighted India's progress towards becoming one of the top five civil aviation sectors in the world, with world-class airports being constructed at non-metros across the country.
  • The Minister expressed regret over the Mangalore air accident and pledged to take course corrections in the civil aviation sector.
  • India has been ranked Category-I in the safety standards audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the USA, implying that the safety standards of the country are amongst the best in the world.
  • Air India is showing a turnaround, with improvement in the last quarter and promise of further improvement in the near future.
  • Air India Express will soon start operations in the domestic sector as the low-cost arm of Air India.

Statistics:

  • The new Terminal 3 (T3) at the IGI Airport is expected to handle 35 million passengers per year.
  • The current traffic in Delhi is at 26 million passengers per year.
  • The terminal is expected to need capacity augmentation by approximately 2016.
  • India's aviation sector is expected to become one of the top five in the world.
  • The safety standards of Indian aviation have been ranked Category-I by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the USA.

Sources:

  • The Hindu. (2010, July 28). Parliamentary committee visits new T3 terminal, appreciates infrastructure. Retrieved from
  • Press Information Bureau. (2010, July 28). Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Praful Patel chairs the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Retrieved from

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