DIAL - complete two years of operations

Some of the major initiatives taken by DIAL are:

• Set-up of AOCC: A state of the art Airport Operation Command Centre (AOCC) was set up to streamline the airport operations and maximize the efficiency of resources available.

• Tie-up with Apollo Hospital: In line with its commitment to providing superior medical facilities to air passengers and employees, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital was selected to provide medical facilities. Indraprastha Apollo Hospital has been awarded the license to operate & manage medical facilities at all passenger & cargo terminals of I.G.I.Airport.

• Set-up of Call centre, upgradation of website with live Flight Information Display System (FIDS): DIAL had setup a basic call centre (011-25661080) to provide flight information to passengers. The Delhi airport website www.newdelhiairport.in was also upgraded to provide latest flight status and flight schedules for the benefit of passengers.

• Airside Improvement: 4 new rapid exit taxiways were commissioned on runway 10 to facilitate faster movement of aircraft while landing on the main runway from Dwarka side. DIAL also procured an advanced runway friction testing machine to ensure optimum friction levels for the runway surface. A new power-in push-back parking method was introduced in the front two rows of the domestic apron. This method is safer than the previous arrangement which had aircraft and vehicles operating in close proximity. On the airside number of CAT III lighting equipped aircraft bays were increased from 25 to 55.

• Passenger Orientation Programmes: To sensitize its staff towards the needs of the modern air traveler DIAL commenced training programmes to equip its staff to impart world class service to passengers. DIAL successfully carried out separate mock exercises of terminal evacuation, hijacking and crash landing to assess preparedness for crisis situations arising out of the presence of suspect item such as a bomb at the airport, airlines hijacking and aircraft crash landing. DIAL and AAI staff was sent on study programmes airports like Singapore, Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur to imbibe global best practices. House Keeping staff was trained specially by the Taj Group of hotels. In addition, regular training programmes in service quality, computer training amongst others have also been commenced.

• Quality Certification & Recognition: DIAL was awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2000 quality certificate for Indira Gandhi International Airport in October 2007. Earlier, the International Cargo Terminal was awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2000 quality certificate as well. The Cargo operations of Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) also won a highly prestigious international "e-Asia 2007 Award" on "Implementation of e- Commerce / Electronic Data Interchange in Air Cargo Sector". In a significant step to speed up transactions and benefit users, an e -payment facility was introduced, at the International Cargo Terminal, with tie-up from Punjab National Bank.

• Fog Comfort for passengers: DIAL added several additional facilities for reducing inconvenience to passengers during flight delays caused by fog. Terminal 1B was extended on the kerbside, to provide additional seating area for passengers. An extensive flight information display system was being provided in the extension area to regularly update the passengers. DIAL also deployed customer service staff round the clock for passenger facilitation. Additional F&B, Telecom & Flight Information facilities was provided to passengers.

• First landing of Airbus A 380 in Delhi: IGI Airport became the first airport in the sub-continent to host the world's largest aircraft Airbus A380.The A380 was in Delhi from 6th -8th May, 2007 for airport compatibility trials and demonstration flights.

• Food & Beverages for passengers: Several new eateries were opened at the terminals including McDonald's, Nirula's, Buno & Caffa, Yo China, Cafe Cofee Day, Subway, Costa Coffee, Baskin Robins, Cookie Man, Hot Dogg, Mr. Orange. A wide range of duty free shops were opened at the airport offering world class products across categories such as perfumes, chocolates, liquor, tobacco, sunglasses & watches amongst others. The duty free shops run by the Alfa – Pantaloon consortium have proven to be a big hit with the travelers at the International Terminal.

• Work on new terminals and runway: Work is progressing fast on IGI Airport's third runway( 11- 29 ). This runway, at 4430 m will be one of the longest runways in Asia and will feature CAT IIIB Instrument Landing System at both ends. This equipment will allow landings in visibility as low as 50 m. This 60 m wide, Code F runway will also cater to new generation large aircrafts such as the Airbus A380. Work on the runway and associated taxiways is more than 90% complete and the runway will be commissioned this year. This year itself, the commissioning of the new runway will increase IGI Airport's capacity to handle aircraft movements and reduce air congestion.

Construction work on the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB), T3 and boarding piers is in full swing with the building scheduled for completion by March 2010, well in time for the Commonwealth Games being hosted by Delhi. Work on T3 is 25% complete.

T3 will have a capacity to cater to 34 million passengers a year. Spread across a footprint of 20 acres, the building will have around 500,000 m² of floor space. The building will serve both domestic and international passengers through 168 common use check-in counters. Further, an advanced 5 level in-line baggage screening system will provide both efficiency and security. In addition, there will be dedicated high speed Metro line connecting the airport to the city centre along with city check-in facility.

DIAL is also constructing a brand new domestic terminal which will boast of inline baggage system. The Domestic Arrival Building (Terminal 1C) would be expanded to allow an increase in baggage claim areas. The number of baggage reclaim belts will go up to eight, from the current five.

The process to modernize the International Terminal (Terminal 2) is underway. In order to cater to the growing passenger traffic a number of steps are being taken to enhance passenger comfort and provide more facilities. In the departure area, additional space is being created in the concourse. The number of counters is being increased to speed up check in process. The area allocated to Emigration checks will be more than doubled and 26 new Emigration counters are also being added to ensure smoother passage for the travellers. In addition, the security control area is also being increased and it will now be nearly four times the current size. Additional X-ray units are also being added to facilitate the faster security clearance. For faster baggage clearance, an additional 2500 sq. m. is also being added. For arriving passengers, immigration will now be a breeze with the additional of 20 new immigration counters. The immigration area will also be enlarged and will now cover 1000 sq. m.

The modernization project received a major fillip when DIAL signed the financing documents for loans aggregating to Rs.4940 Crore from a consortium of 12 banks, thus achieving financial closure for the project. The total capital expenditure programme of the first Phase till year 2010 is estimated at about Rs. 8,900 Crore. This is expected to be funded by debt and equity in the ratio of 1.25:1.

About DIAL:
Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) is a joint venture company; comprising the Bangalore headquartered global Infrastructure major GMR Group with a significant pan-India and International presence, Airports Authority of India, Fraport, Malaysian Airport and India Development Fund. DIAL is working towards the modernization and restructuring of the Delhi Airport. The project being developed by DIAL under Public Private Partnership has been given the mandate to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the Delhi Airport for 30 years with an option to extend it by another 30
years.


© Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 13-May-08