DIAL unveils re-designed international terminal at IGI airport
02 Jul 2008
New Delhi: A refurbished and redesigned international terminal opened for operations on Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi International airport at Delhi. Even though overall renovation and modernisation has been completed, some facilities such as in-line baggage checking are yet to be commissioned fully.
So far, developers and operators Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) have commissioned only five of the eight in-line units. Belts 1, 4 and 5 are still operating with the old X-ray machines. However, these are expected to become fully functional over the next two weeks.
The in-line system is designed to cut down waiting time for passengers tremendously, since it removes the need for passengers to queue up to get their baggage X-rayed before checking in.
The immigration area has been increased by 800 sq mt, and the number of counters have also been increased. The number of counters in the departure area has gone up from 28 to 52, while the numbers have increased from 28 to 38 in the arrival terminal.
It is expected that another 10 counters will be added in a few weeks.
The counters are yet to be fully manned, however, since the immigration personnel are still undergoing training. In a recent controversy, which had gripped the airport, DIAL had asked for an increase in CISF and immigration personnel stating that though facilities were available, there were no people to man them.
Amongst other facilities, DIAL has increased the number of entry gates at the terminal from four to eight. The number of check-in counters is also up from 78 to 100. The check-in area has also increased by 2,500 sq mt, and this is expected to make check-in smoother.
