Delhi airport’s Rs 3,500-crore APM to connect all terminals by 2030

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is expected to have an Automated People Mover (APM) connecting its passenger terminals by 2030, with an estimated investment of around Rs 3,500 crore, officials said on Tuesday.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) CEO Pradeep Panicker said the proposed inter-terminal transit system is part of the airport’s 10-year master plan through 2036. The driverless system will have six stations spread across 7.3 km and is expected to connect T1, T2 and T3, as well as the cargo terminal and Aerocity.

The journey between T1 and T3 is expected to take around 13 minutes. One of the APM stations will also provide connectivity to Delhi Metro lines.

The project is aimed at easing congestion and improving connectivity within the country’s busiest airport, particularly for passengers transferring between T1 and T3, which are several kilometres apart and currently require road transport.

The APM is projected to handle around 55,000 passengers a day in its first year of operation. DIAL is yet to decide whether non-flying passengers will have to pay to use the system.

The airport currently has an annual passenger-handling capacity of 106 million across its three terminals. Under the latest master plan, this is projected to rise to 125 million passengers annually, with a possible capacity of up to 129 million. The planned capacity will include 86 million domestic and 39 million international passengers.

Meanwhile, DIAL is awaiting regulatory approval to operate airside bus transfers for passengers travelling from T3 to T1.

As part of the expansion, a new Pier E is also planned at T3 and is expected to be completed by April 2030. Currently, T3 has four piers, with Pier C recently converted from domestic to international operations.

with inputs from PTI