Delhi Airport to get Rs 3,500 crore transit system by 2030, connecting all terminals

New Delhi, Delhi airport expects to have the Automated People Mover (APM) or the transit system connecting all the terminals by 2030, with an estimated investment of Rs 3,500 crore, officials said on Tuesday.

The APM is part of the airport's ten-year master plan till 2036 and during this period, the overall annual passenger handling capacity is projected to rise to 125 million, which can even go up to 129 million.

APM, which is generally a driverless transit system that can ferry people from one point to another, will help in easing the congestion in and around the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which is also the country's busiest airport.


Operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the airport has three terminals - T1, T2 and T3 - and four runways as well as an elevated cross taxiway.

DIAL CEO Pradeep Panicker on Tuesday said the proposed inter-terminal connectivity through APM is expected to be ready by 2030, briefing reporters in the national capital about the master plan.

The idea of APM has been in discussions for the past few years and the work is in progress in terms of finalising the design and other elements.

Officials said APM would be set up with an investment of around Rs 3,500 crore.

The APM, which will connect six stations, will stretch 7.3 kilometres and the travel time between T1 and T3 will be around 13 minutes, the officials said.

While T2 and T3 are close by, T1 is a few kilometres away and currently, passengers who want to take a flight from T1 after landing at T3 or vice versa have to go by road to reach either of the terminals.

Meanwhile, DIAL is awaiting approval from the authorities for airside transfer of passengers from T3 to T1 by bus.

Apart from the three passenger terminals, the APM will also connect the cargo terminal and Aerocity, and through one of the stations, people can connect with the Delhi Metro lines.

They also said the APM is projected to have a ridership of 55,000 people per day in the opening year.

To a query on whether there will be charges for using the APM for non-flyers, Panicker said a decision is yet to be taken.

The setting up of the APM is part of the airport's ten-year master plan till 2036 and DIAL expects to increase the overall annual passenger handling capacity to 125 million during the master plan period.

The earlier plan was to build an elevated cum at-grade system at the airport on the design, build, finance, operate and transfer model to provide seamless connectivity for passengers between T1 and the two other terminals.

Out of the total 125 million annual passenger handling capacity planned in the latest ten-year master plan, 86 million will be domestic and 39 million will be international.

At present, the airport has an annual passenger handling capacity of 106 million spread across the three terminals. The capacity is 42 million, 14 million and 50 million at T1, T2 and T3, respectively.

At T3, there is a domestic capacity of 19 million and an international capacity of 31 million.

Currently, T3 has four piers - Pier A and B for international operations, while C and D are for domestic operations. Pier C has now been converted for international operations.

Pier E is to be constructed at T3 by April 2030.

Generally, a pier at an airport is a long and narrow structure or transfer facility from the main terminal building and allows passengers to use aerobridges to enter an aircraft.