PM to inaugurate new terminal at IGI Airport soon

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would inaugurate the new integrated terminal of the IGI airport in New Delhi on July 3, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Tuesday.

"On July 3, the new integrated terminal building (Terminal 3) of the IGI airport will become functional and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate it in the presence of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi," Patel said, asserting that there was no change in the launch date.

The civil work in T3 has been completed as per schedule on March 31 and extensive on-the-job trials of the facilities were being carried out by the airport operator involving over 10,000 personnel from all the service providers, including CISF, Immigration, Customs, airlines and other stakeholders.

The new integrated passenger terminal, with a capacity to handle 34 million passengers per annum, has an area of 500,000 square meters, with 78 aerobridges, piers, travellators and elevators.

The plush T3 would be one of the largest in the world, and have business centres, malls, a hotel and a galaxy of reputed shopping chain brands.

National carrier Air India would be the first airline to launch both international and domestic flights from this terminal and is likely to start functioning from June.

The airport operator has been holding 'Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer' trials since January by familiaring the staff of various airlines, CISF and others about the huge terminal building and the facilities.

Image: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh