Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1 reopens with modern look
TERMINAL-1 (T1) of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport became fully functional on Tuesday after a nine-month hiatus, airport authorities announced on Monday.
Operations at T1 were halted after part of the terminal’s canopy collapsed during heavy rains in June.
With the reopening of T1, all flights currently operating out of Terminal-2 (T2) will be relocated to T1, paving the way for refurbishment work at T2, which is expected to take three to four months.
Currently, T2 handles about 270-280 daily flights and serves over 46,000 passengers, primarily from Akasa Air and IndiGo.
These flights will begin shifting to T1 on April 15, said Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
IndiGo has confirmed that from April 15, all its flights currently operating from T2 will move to T1. The airline will now operate only from T1 and T3 at IGI Airport.
T1 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2024. However, a section of the canopy at the pick-up-and-drop lane outside the terminal collapsed on June 28, leading to the death of a cab driver and injuries to eight people. The area was sealed off for repairs and demolition of the damaged canopy and metal columns began in July.
Some operations resumed in August, with only gates 5 and 6 reopened. DIAL said the remaining gates —1 to 4 — will open on Tuesday, making the new terminal fully operational. “From Tuesday, all six gates and the full T1 building will be functional,” an official confirmed.
The new T1 building is a significant expansion, with the terminal’s area increasing from 55,740 square metres to 206,950 square metres. Unlike the old setup with separate buildings for arrivals and departures — T1(D) and T1(C) — the new terminal integrates both under one roof.
T1 now features facial recognition (DIGIYATRA) at all entry points, 108 Common Usage Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks for check-in, 10 baggage reclaim carousels (each 70 metres long), and enhanced baggage handling capacity—from 3,240 to 6,000 bags per hour.
Passenger-friendly amenities include expanded shopping and dining zones, quiet areas, a yoga space, prayer rooms, group seating with charging ports, smart washrooms, self-medication rooms, and baby care facilities.
The terminal has also been designed as a green building, with extensive use of natural lighting. DIAL said T1’s expansion and modernisation were completed as part of the Phase 3A development project.
The transition is a key part of efforts to improve passenger experience and meet growing air travel demand, according to DIAL. The upgrade positions Delhi airport as the only Indian airport capable of handling over 100 million passengers annually. T1 now has a capacity of 40 million passengers per year, T2 15 million, and T3 45 million.
Civil aviation secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam told PTI that with T1 and T3 fully functional, Delhi airport would be able to handle all passenger traffic smoothly during T2’s closure, with no significant congestion expected.
