7 years after flying into history, Terminal 2 of IGI airport to take off again with new wings

NEW DELHI: As it opens for domestic flights on Saturday evening, it could be a walk down memory lane for old-timers using IGI’s Terminal 2.

Opened in 1982 as an international terminal, this regular brick and mortar structure was as glamorous as any desi international airport could be. But it was “mothballed” in May 2010 when Terminal 3 became operational nearby. And glitzy glass and steel structures became the new standard for airports.

Seven years hence, as TOI entered the terminal on Friday, we were struck by the openness of the place as the immigration desks that once divided the fairly large hall for check-ins have all disappeared. A little ahead of it are the security checks. The airline lounges located at the end of a grand staircase beyond the immigration desks have been closed.


Now that T2 is all domestic, its passenger-handling capacity has also gone up. “As an international terminal, T2 could handle 90 lakh passengers every year. Now, as a domestic terminal, it can handle 1.2 crore passengers annually,” said Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) CEO I P Rao.

DIAL claims to have spent Rs 100 crore on making T2 usable again for regular flights. It also says that it would spend Rs 65-70 crore annually on maintenance. The most visible changes are the absence of the black, dotted rubber mat flooring. The airport operator has now opted for tiles — unlike the much-disliked carpet at neighbouring T3 — due to which moving with trolley bags would be a song. All the electric fittings, air conditioning and plumbing have been changed.

Once you clear security checks and then stand in the hallway leading to the boarding section, you suddenly realise that the terminal, which seemed big as long as it was operational, is now dwarfed by its younger cousins in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Proceeding to the boarding area reinforces this fact as parts of it are still out of bounds.

The six aerobridges will take GoAir passengers straight to their aircraft. And the big staircase would lead to the lower level to the eight bays from where flyers would board buses to board aircraft.



On the arrival section, things are more or less the same as they were until 2010 save one difference. When coming down from the first level—that is, if you use an aerobridge to deboard—you would no longer be required to stand at the immigration counters that once occupied both sides of the hall. Instead, as domestic flyers, you would straightaway head to the hive conveyor belts or carousels, which seem very long. And these appear long because of a reason: these were built to handle loads of wide-body aircraft like Boeing 747s. But now, these would handle baggage of the much smaller, single-aisle Airbus 320s of GoAir. The art work on the panels above the conveyor belts have been redone.

Duty-free shops, which in the past used to mainly sell alcohol, perfumes and chocolates, have disappeared from both departure and arrival levels. Window-shopping at those places would be sorely missed. Currency exchange counters have also vanished.

Old-timers would also remember this terminal once teem with customs officials. Till the economy was opened up and imported consumer durables started becoming available in India, customs officials used to target passengers coming on “TV, video, music system wali flights” from Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai.