New Delhi, July 14 Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday unveiled the much-awaited fourth runway and elevated dual eastern cross taxiways (ECT) at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in the national Capital.
With this, Delhi Airport has become India’s only airport to have four operational runways.
According to officials, the 4.4-kilometre-long runway, parallel to the third runway (11/29) on the Southern side, is an integral part of the Phase 3-A expansion project undertaken by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited.
“The physical construction of the fourth runway was completed in September 2021, despite numerous challenges, including those posed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the official.
“The fourth runway would handle the increased traffic movement and, along with the dual Elevated Cross Taxiways (ECT) will help in reducing the Carbon emissions significantly. It would be the step for the Delhi Airport to move towards its goal of become a “Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by 2030”,” said the official.
During the inauguration, Scindia expressed his satisfaction with the completion of this vital expansion project. He highlighted the importance of modernising and upgrading infrastructure to meet the growing demands of air travel, contributing to the development of the aviation sector and the nation’s economy.
“India is at an inflection point in her long history of civil aviation. From about 70 million passengers per year as the biggest airport in India, the Delhi Airport will soon become one of the largest airports in the world at 109 million passengers per year,” he said.
“Today, we are integrating the elevated ECT, the first of its kind in India. For our travelers, this means a reduction in taxi time. The second innovation we see, is the fourth runway. This runway makes Delhi airport the only airport in the country to have four runways. With this comes responsibility. With ECT, we will save 55,000 tonnes of Carbon emissions annually. We are for growth, we are for cresting new horizons but in a sustainable way, keeping with the Prime Minister's impetus to achieve Zero Carbon Emissions by 2070,” said the minister.
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