Delhi airport expansion plan may be delayed by four years

NEW DELHI: Delhi airport may have to face a delay in getting a new terminal building and a fourth runway, with the plan likely to be deferred to 2021 from 2017 owing to losses and underutilisation of the existing capacity.

If this happens, it will lead to a delay in the plan to build a capacity of 100 million passengers per annum at the airport from the current capacity of 62 million.

Officials said the plan for a new terminal building and fourth runway is likely to be deferred because the existing demand is just 40.9 million passengers per annum.

“One of the key reasons for Delhi airport incurring losses is high depreciation cost of the asset created at the airport. On top of it, the asset is not being utilised to full. We have asked them to defer the expansion plan till 2021,” said a senior Airports Authority of India official, who did not want to be identified.