Strong winds of change are blowing at the Capital's airport terminals. The Union government wants all passenger flights to operate from Terminal 3 (T3) of the Delhi airport. Currently, both domestic and international flights operate from T3 and 1D is Delhi's solely domestic terminal.
With a view to cutting down on passenger fares, transit time and fuel consumption, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has asked the Delhi airport operator to come up with a concrete plan for synchronising all operations of passenger aircraft at T3.
Mail Today has accessed the ministry's letter to the operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). The aviation ministry has sought an urgent meeting on Thursday with DIAL and other agencies concerned, and also asked the operator to explore the possibility of making 1D a full-fledged cargo terminal.


"The Delhi International Airport Limited will come out with a concrete action plan for decongestion of Terminal 1D with the possibility of making it a full-fledged cargo terminal and synchronising all operations of passenger aircraft from Terminal 3," UK Bhatia, under-secretary in the ministry of civil aviation, wrote to DIAL on Monday.
The ministry believes that the passengers will have to pay less if the plan is executed. "Several airlines have complained to Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation regulator, about fuel wastage. The shifting will mean aircraft will not have to travel hundreds of metres just to reach the taxiing bay. Also, airlines can save on rent and maintenance charges. For transit passengers too, this plan will come as a boon as they would not be forced to travel to Terminal 1D to board domestic flights," a ministry official told Mail Today.
"Aircraft fuel consumption in Delhi is much higher than at other airports as the aircraft need to travel a lot after landing and before taking off. Also, if somebody has come to Delhi from Dubai on board an Air India flight and wants to go to Patna by Indigo airlines, s/he has to use a bus or taxi to travel from T3 to T1D. If all passenger operations are clubbed together at T3, it will be a great help for the 1 lakh passengers travelling daily from the Delhi airport," the official added.
A number of airlines, including Indigo and SpiceJet, have been asking the government to shift all passenger operations to Terminal 3. The airlines have also offered various incentives to implement the proposal, including a possible reduction in air fares, said sources.
But DIAL is not very keen on this plan because various projects related to Terminal 1D, including connecting runways to Terminal 1D via an elevated taxiway, are already in the pipeline.
"The Delhi airport already has four cargo terminals. They are working perfectly. This plan will add burden to the agencies involved in the airport's operation.
Ultimately, it will burden passengers because the cost of operations at the airport will go up. Projects worth crores of rupees directly related to Terminal 1D are already lined up. Also, this terminal was renovated as early as in December last year," sources at the airport said. The Delhi International Airport Limited authorities refused to speak to MAIL TODAY on the issue. Work is on in full swing on a first-of-its-kind elevated taxiway for aircraft connecting runway number 11/29 with the parking bay situated near Terminal 1D.
At this "eastern cross taxiway", two main roads will intersect connecting T3 with the city and two tunnels will be built to enable the smooth movement of traffic, airport officials said. This project will help aircraft reduce fuel consumption by almost 30 per cent and save passengers' time too.