Demolition work to begin next week for IGI airport expansion
Airport operator Dial will use technology that will create minimal dust, noise
NEWDELHI: With minimal labour, noise and dust, the Delhi airport will begin the demolition of old buildings from next week as part of the expansion project. The airport operator is expecting to complete the construction by 2021 taking the overall capacity to 85 million per annum from the current 70 million.
The Delhi International Airport Limited (Dial), will be using high-reach jaw crushing technology for the demolition work.
The airport operator claims that it is the first time this technology will be used in any airport project in India. The new vehicle was tested last week during the demolishing of an old water tank at the airport.
“This technology uses a machine designed for demolition of major construction, without the deployment of any labour at the demolition site. The machine is designed with safety features including FOPS (Falling Object Protective Structure) cabin, counter weight, safety valves, water spray system for arresting flying dust. This also makes the demolition process relatively noise free,” a spokesperson for Dial said.
Dial had issued Expression of Interest or tender for the expansion and received a response from a number of reputed contractors.
“The team is in the process of verifying the credentials of contractors who have responded. Demolition work will be taken up progressively through the entire expansion project phase, over the next 3-4 years,” the spokesperson added.
After the completion of this project, Phase-2 of the expansion will begin, which includes construction of a new terminal.
In 2017-18, the Delhi airport breached the 60 million-mark for the first time and handled 65.6 million passengers making it to the list of the top 20 busiest airports of the world.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) also becomes the seventh busiest in Asia with this milestone, beating airports in South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.
This year, it is expected to breach the 70-million mark and will be operating beyond its capacity.
The new ATC tower, to be opened in 2018, and the fourth runway in 2020 will help to reduce air congestion and handle more flights.
Since, Terminal 1 is operating beyond its capacity; the expansion will begin from there and cover the airside, terminal building and city side.
The master plan will be implemented in three modular phases — phase 3A (2018-21), 3B (2021-25) and Phase 4 (2026 onwards).
As per the proposal, departure terminal, T1D, and arriving terminal, T1 C, will be merged and expanded to accommodate 40 million passengers per annum. As per the Master Plan, the capacity of T1 will be increased from 20 million to 40 million and the capacity of Terminal 3 will be increased from 34 million to 45 million.