Revamped T2 of Delhi airport opens for operations

With the reopening, Air India and IndiGo will together operate around 120 domestic flights daily from the upgraded terminal

New Delhi

The revamped terminal. (HT Photo)

Union civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu on Saturday inaugurated the revamped Terminal 2 (T2) of the Delhi airport, where flight operations will resume from October 26, marking a major expansion in capacity at India’s busiest airport.

With the reopening, Air India and IndiGo will together operate around 120 domestic flights daily from the upgraded terminal, according to Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the GMR Group-led consortium that manages the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

“The government is developing and transforming airports into world-class transit hubs at an unprecedented pace,” Naidu said at the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by senior officials from the civil aviation ministry, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and DIAL.

“Handling nearly 50% of the northern region’s total passenger traffic and managing nearly 50,000 transfers every day, Delhi is emerging as a preferred transfer hub,” the minister said, adding that India has the potential to become one of the world’s largest civil aviation ecosystems.

The terminal, which had been in operation for 40 years, was shut for renovation in April. It has now opened in time for the 2025 winter schedule, wherein the flight movements are expected to rise by about 13% from the previous winter schedule.

Naidu said the Delhi airport can handle up to 130 million passengers annually with efficient use of space, and highlighted its growing focus on sustainability, including the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

DIAL said that the refurbished terminal will play a “pivotal role” in strengthening Delhi’s position as India’s foremost aviation hub, equipped to manage the next phase of passenger growth efficiently and sustainably.

“The reopening of T2 allows for more balanced airline operations across terminals, further enhancing efficiency and convenience for millions of travellers,” Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL, said.

The upgraded terminal features a self-baggage drop (SBD) facility, enabling passengers to check in their luggage independently, reducing queues and wait times. It also has six new passenger boarding bridges (PBBs) and has undergone comprehensive mechanical and electrical upgrades to support future traffic growth, the airport operator stated.

At the T2, the first arriving flight will be the IndiGo 6E 2058 from Lucknow, at around 12.25am on October 26, while the first departing flight will be IndiGo 6E 2343 to Pune, at 2.15am the same night, it said.

The IGIA, which now has three terminals (T1, T2, and T3) and four runways, handles over 1,300 flight movements daily and can accommodate more than 100 million passengers annually.