Airside Transfer: Domestic To Int’l Transit May Be A Breeze At Airport

New Delhi: Transiting between the three terminals of Indira Gandhi International Airport could become less of a hassle from next year.Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) is learnt to be planning a dedicated corridor between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 so that domestic-to-international passengers, to begin with, can be transferred airside, instead of them having to use the road. Depending on clearances from multiple govt agencies, the airport operator plans to start doing so before March 2026. This will be followed by international to domestic transfers from T3 to T2.
The biggest relief could come by next June when a similar airside connectivity is likely to be provided for domestic to international transfers from T1 to T3, followed by T3 to T1 for passengers flying from international to domestic sectors. Domestic-to-domestic airside transfers between the three terminals are not yet in the works. Commuting between T1 and T2/3, which are almost 9 km apart, has been a sore point. Despite IGIA being one of the world's busiest airport, DIAL's plan to operate an air train, like most big global hubs, including Changi, JFK, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Heathrow and Zurich airport, has been gathering dust for almost a decade now. "An internal team of DIAL and external consultants are working on finding a technical solution for dedicated corridors for transfers between T3 — the airport's sole international terminal — and T1 and T2, both of which handle only domestic traffic," sources said. The operator is cognisant of the fact that in the continued absence of an automated people mover — usually air trains at airports — a way needs to be found for making transfers seamless. The plan to start off with domestic-to-international operations is owing to the fact that flyers can directly carry their check-in bags from an incoming domestic flight to an outgoing international one, the sources said.The baggage of international passengers entering India, on the other hand, needs to pass through Customs first before the flyers can carry them on a connecting domestic flight. A seamless route for this is also reportedly being worked out."The airport operator hopes to present the plan to govt agencies, including aviation ministry, DGCA, BCAS, customs and CISF for their suggestions and approvals. Buses used for transfers on the airside will have a speed limit of 20 kmph, but even then, the commute will be much more convenient and faster than roadside transfers, said the sources.DIAL, which is backed by GMR Group, took over the airport in May 2006 based on a PPP model. It plans to implement these passenger-friendly moves to coincide with it marking two decades at IGIA.With DIAL's first 30-year concession period ending in 2036, the time between an air train becoming operational, say in 2030, and 2036, is too short for a bidder to recover the expense. Hence, the air train remains a dream for now. Hence, a dedicated airside corridor, to begin with, will be of great help for the transit passengers.

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