Renovated T2 to handle flights to 3 cities from Octend

NEW DELHI : Many passengers flying economy from the national capital to Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata may have to board their flights from the newly renovated Terminal-2 (T2) from October-end.

As part of its Terminal-1 (T1) expansion plan, the Delhi International Airport limited (DIAL) had earlier asked Indigo, SpiceJet and GoAir to shift 30% of their operations to T2 and provide flight details by August 31. Upon receiving no response to the letter, it wrote to them again — mandating that their flights bound for the three cities be moved to the renovated terminal by October 28.

“Though the capacity of T1 is 20 million per annum, it is handling about 24 million. It is in dire need of expansion work. If Indigo, SpiceJet and GoAir flights to Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata are shifted to T2, the number of passengers at T1 will come down to 15 million. Renovation work can then be taken up on the side,” an airport official said on the condition of anonymity.

The three airlines will have to launch operations from T2 by October 29, he added. Airlines in India operate on two schedules – winter and summer. While the winter schedule starts from the last Sunday of October, the one for summer begins on the last Sunday of March. The ministry of civil aviation wants the three airlines to shift flight operations to the specified cities before the winter schedule.

A DIAL spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.

All the three airlines currently operate out of T1. DIAL had wanted atleast two of them to shift to T2, so it could take up expansion work. The civil aviation ministry gave them time till July 15 to decide the date of moving – warning that they would be forced out of T1 if they fail to respond on time.