AP News, February 17th, 2007
Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's ruling coalition, laid the foundation stone Saturday for an ambitious $1.5 billion plan to modernize New Delhi's dilapidated, overcrowded airport.
Authorities are planning a new, modern terminal to handle both international and domestic traffic, and a third runway to ensure that the airport can better cope with an ever-increasing tide of air traffic.
The last renovation to the airport was the addition of an international terminal in 1986. No major work has been done since then.
India's booming economy has spurred the aviation industry with an increase in carriers and passengers, but its existing airports _ particularly in Mumbai and New Delhi, which handle the majority of India's air traffic _ have struggled to cope.
New Delhi's airport was designed to handle 12 million passengers a year, but now handles more than 16 million. The new terminal, which will be able to handle some 37 million passengers annually, is expected to be completed by 2010 when New Delhi is scheduled to host the Commonwealth Games.
Gandhi said her government was determined that the economy _ growing at more than 8 percent annually in recent years _ would not be held back by poor infrastructure.
"We are committed to see that infrastructure does not remain a bottleneck in the progress of the socio-economic development of the country," Gandhi said.
The new terminal and runway are the first phase of a modernization plan that will eventually see the airport able to handle up to 100 million passengers a year and accommodate the new generation of aircraft including the Airbus A380 superjumbo, organizers said. No date has been set for the completion of the plan.
Passengers at New Delhi's separate international and domestic airports often face long delays in cramped and uncomfortable conditions with minimal facilities.
Planes are often forced to circle the airport for long periods or wait in long lines on the runway as air-controllers try to juggle more aircraft than the airports were designed to handle.
The new terminal will include restaurants, shopping areas and entertainment facilities, and modern communication equipment for business travelers, Delhi International Airport Limited said in a statement.
