Ground Access for IGI Airport, Delhi: Planning and Challenges

Airside infrastructure, Terminal along with Ground access facilities, form three broad components of any airport. An airport attracts large number of passengers, meeters and greeters and staff depending upon its size, location and role. Efficient ground access system is therefore vital for any airport to serve its full potential. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi is a crucial airport, which is being upgraded and modernized by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) under Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, covering funding, designing, construction, operations and maintenance of the airport for a period of 30 years till 2036, with a further option to extend it by next 30 years. The first phase is marked by construction of new integrated terminal T3 by 2010 to handle 34 million passengers per annum. This would be followed by three more passenger terminals till 2026 in subsequent phases. This paper presents an overview of the concept of the central spine and the connecting network within the airport boundary, design concept, other general details such as Ground access facilities, both by roadway and by metro express link, curbside configuration, multi level car parking along with parking for buses and taxi staging, express bus service to various city centers, shuttle bus service linking different parts of airport, integration of circulation plan of cargo complex and hospitality districts.