New Delhi, April 19 (Inditop) A sleek new domestic departure terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport became operational Sunday, replacing a decades-old cramped terminal that was synonymous with disorder and lacked basic facilities for a modern traveller.
A spokesperson of airport developer Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a GMR-led consortium, told IANS: “The first Indigo flight for Guwahati took off at 5.30 a.m. This was followed by another Indigo flight and then a Kingfisher flight.
“Everything is functioning smoothly at the new terminal,” the spokesperson added.
With the inauguration, Kingfisher Airlines, its low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red and Indigo Airlines have begun to operate from the new glass-fronted, multi-level domestic terminal (1D) from Sunday.
Jet Airways and its low-cost carrier JetLite, as well as SpiceJet will begin operating from the new terminal later this month.
Earlier, Kingfisher used to operate from the more spacious terminal IA along with Air India, while the others operated from crowded terminal 1B.
The new terminal was officially inaugurated Feb 26 by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
By early next year, Air India, Kingfisher and Jet Airways will shift to the upcoming T3 integrated terminal, while terminal 1D will be for low-cost carriers.
Built at a cost of Rs.500 crore ($100 million), terminal 1D will be able to handle 10 million passengers annually and is equipped with 72 check-in counters, its developers said.
