The third and latest terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi, unveiled on July 14th 2010, is yet another jewel in the crown of Indian Airport infrastructure. Sprawled over an area of 5.4 million square feet, this terminal is the world’s 2nd largest airport terminal in size and 6th largest by capacity; it is equipped to accommodate 34 million passengers every year.
80 percent of this nine-level T-3 is made of glass supported by metal frames. Glass loses 30% more warm or cool air than insulated brick. Several murals and sculptures adorn the walls of the terminal, making for aesthetic excellence.
T3 will be one of the few green airports in the world, thanks to eco-friendly features like energy-efficient structures, high-performance air-conditioning, use of municipal waste to generate electricity, rain water harvesting, waste-water treatment and reuse of treated water.
The terminal has 78 aerobridges, 168 check-in counters and is fully equipped to receive the super-jumbo Airbus A-380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft. With 95 immigration counters, the terminal boasts of numerous escalators and walkalators, including one that claims to be the longest in Asia, at 118 m.
Besides three functional runways catering to T3, there are 92 automatic walkways and a multi-level air-conditioned car park equipped to accommodate 4,300 cars - both features a first in India.
There is a 100-room transit hotel and business lounge inside the terminal itself. Comfortable nap and shower rooms that add to passenger comfort in the airport are incorporated; these will have a mix of restaurants, bars, cafes and fast food outlets within 20,000 square meters of commercial space.
Close to 800 Flight Information Display Systems have been used for live flight information, and 8,000 speakers installed for the Public Address system. About 3000 security cameras have been installed to keep an eye on every nook and corner of the airport premises. 15 X-ray systems have been set up at certain points in the Terminal to ease waiting time.
Common User Passenger Processing System and an advanced 5 level in-line Baggage Handling System with explosive detection technology will be operational to ensure quicker processing and higher security. Advanced technology has been used for the check-in process and baggage retrieval systems, which can handle 12,800 bags in an hour.
The high speed Metro train, connecting T3 to the city, will allow passengers to check in their luggage at the city station and bring them straight below the airport terminal with boarding cards in hand.
Almost 20,000 square metres of retail area with duty-free stores have been set up by the famous Irish duty-free chain Aer Rianta International.
Designed as per the Indian Green Building Council's (IGBC) rating system, T3 will have a high level of green cover with landscaping of 70 acres outside and 10,000 square metres inside the building. Numerous varieties of plants, trees and shrubs are being planted. While most of the plants are indigenous, few exotic varieties of orchids have been sourced from Thailand and Mexico. Over 9,00,000 plants will provide a green cover for the airport; the landscaping will have a large number of fountains and soothing lighting.
