The Delhi International Airport, also known as the Indira Gandhi International Airport will get dual elevated Eastern Cross Taxiways on July 13, 2023. The distance an aircraft has to cover after landing on the third runway and going to Terminal 1 of the Delhi Airport will reduce to 2 kilometres from 9 kilometres with the India’s first ever elevated taxiway. It will also reduce the time spent on the tarmac by passengers before and after flight take-offs and landings, reported ANI. GMR Group Deputy Managing Director I Prabhakara Rao on Friday confirmed that the ECT will be operational from July 13.

Not only this, the fourth runway at the airport in the national capital will also be operational from July 13, said the senior official on Friday. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital has three runways now. The Delhi Airport will become the only airport in India to have four runways, increasing its flight capacity multifold.

#India is ready to welcome its first-ever #ElevatedCrossTaxiway (ECT) at the #DelhiAirport! An engineering marvel that will give wings to multiple ease factors. #LaunchingSoon! #DELlife #Inaugurating #Launch pic.twitter.com/FmJE4IGRlD
— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) July 7, 2023

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Dual Elevated Taxiway

The Eastern Cross Taxiway is 2.1 kilometres long and around 202 metres wide. There are two taxiways, one for planes to use after landing and another for aircraft to use before taking off. The ECT will be the first of its kind in India. It will connect Northern and Southern airfields and reduce taxi distance for an aircraft by 7 kilometres.

These taxiways — which can handle big planes, including A-380 and B-777 — will help reduce annual CO2 emissions by 55,000 tonnes, the release said. IGIA is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd. 

Enhanced Capacity

Speaking at a conclave recently, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation said that the Delhi International Airport can soon become the world’s largest airport with the 4 runways in action. The massive expansion of the airport will make it one of the biggest in the world, surpassing the Atlanta airport, which is widely considered as the biggest airport in the world (passenger capacity wise).

“At present, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport currently caters to 70 million passengers and this number is likely to increase to 109 million by the end of this year. It is the only Indian airport with three runways. Delhi’s new runway and the fourth runway are likely to be operational in September. It will become one of the largest airports in the world even beyond Atlanta airport,” said Scindia.