Delhi’s Indra Gandhi International Airport (DIAL) will inaugurate its fourth runway, and a new elevated taxiway, on July 13. The inauguration will be conducted by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and the new runway and taxiways will be operational on the same day.
With the addition of a fourth runway, Indra Gandhi International Airport will be India’s only airport to have more than three runways.
This expected growth comes on the heels of major orders by Indian airlines. The airport currently handles more than 1,500 daily air traffic movements, or about 75-80 per hour.
The new runway, 29R/11L, stretches 4,400 meters with a width of 75 meters around 14,435 feet long and just under 250 feet wide. Although the new runway will mark the airport’s fourth, another of the airport’s existing runways is expected to be closed for maintenance once the new one becomes operational.
In addition to the new runway, Delhi will also inaugurate new elevated cross taxiways called the Eastern Cross Taxiways (ECT), they are 2.1km, long and include two taxiways capable of accommodating two aircraft at once.
According to the airport’s operator, the ECT will drastically reduce taxi distances and times.
Once realized, these efficiency improvements will represent an important milestone towards achieving the airport’s 2030 net-zero emissions goals. The airport expects that the reduced taxi distances made possible by the new ECT will help reduce CO2 emissions by around 55,000 tons annually.
