Delhi airport new terminal set for commercial ops

The positive energy on the floor of Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Wednesday was awe-inspiring as the first commercial flight -- Air India's AI-102 from New York -- touched base at 4:40 pm.

The initial buzz turned into raw excitement as the first passengers walked past the glass-and-steel structure amid a warm welcome on arrival by officials of Air India and Delhi International Airport Ltd.

The excitement is expected to reach its climax tomorrow, when the world's largest aircraft – an Emirates' Boeing A380 -- lands at the termninal.

The Air India flight was given a salute, with jets of water being sprayed from either side as it taxied on the bay to dock at the terminal.

The 220 passengers and 18 crew on board flight AI-102 were  handed certificates for being the first passengers to arrive at the world-class facility.

The passengers were treated as special guests and had an enjoyable experience.

The crew of the aircraft enjoyed their special moments, too, posing for media attention as the cameras clicked and captured their arrival.

Several passengers took turns to click photographs with a board reading: "I am one of the first passengers on T3", to carry home a piece of their memory.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had inaugurated T3 -- the fifth-largest airport terminal in the world -- on July 3.

Today the first arrival and departure was by Air India. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines also operated from the terminal.