DIAL CEO says Delhi airport aims to increase capacity to 130 million passengers

Delhi airport may increase its annual passenger handling capacity to 130 million as “efficiencies increase”, its CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar has said.

The national capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which is also the busiest airport in the country, currently has a capacity to handle over 100 million passengers annually. In the year ending March 31, 2025, the airport had 79.3 million footfall.

DIAL CEO Jaipuriar said passenger numbers are expected to increase compared to last year, but did not give any specific range or estimate.

The airport, which began operating the refurbished Terminal 2 (T2) on October 26, has two more terminals – T1 and T3. International flights operate from T3 only.

Jaipuriyar said the airport’s current plan is for an annual passenger handling capacity of 130 million.

“T1 is designed for 40 million (passengers per annum capacity). I think we can definitely increase it by 3-4 per cent or 10 per cent more. Because we have always seen that capacities can increase. So this will take it (capacity) to 44 million.

“At T3 we are already carrying 51 million (passengers)… It (T3) was designed for 34 million (passengers),” he told PTI in an interview.

Moreover, the piers at T3 will help add capacity of at least 10-12 million passengers per year, he said and added that the renovated T2 has a capacity of 15 million.

After inaugurating the refurbished T2 on Saturday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the airport could have the capacity to handle 130 million passengers per year.

Meanwhile, Jaipuriar said the transfer of luggage of international passengers by air from T3 to T1 has been successful.

“We are currently doing a POC (proof of concept) and it is successful. Hopefully it will be approved by all concerned,” he said.

After clearing their bags from customs at T3, passengers now have the option to immediately deposit their luggage at the baggage drop counter at T3. Once this is done, the passenger can proceed to T1 without carrying luggage, which will be transferred by air.

This transfer system has been running as POC for the last eight-nine months.

DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited), a consortium led by GMR Group, is operating IGIA, which has four runways.