New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) The humongous new Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport that opens July 3 will have all the amenities for passenger travel comfort, including the highest number of aerobridges in the world at a single site - 78. It is almost eight times more than what the present international terminal has.
Apart from the aerobridges which are passageways that connect the boarding area directly to the aircraft, Terminal 3 will also have 63 elevators, nearly 35 escalators and 92 automatic walkways.
The aerobridges are designed to handle 600 passengers an hour. The present international terminal has only 10 aerobridges, one escalator and no automatic walkway.
The aerobridges at the new terminal have been designed to support the gigantic Airbus A-380 aircraft, touted as the largest such machine for commercial aviation, said the developers of this $2.8 billion terminal -- the Delhi Airport International Ltd (DIAL).
Also integrated into the system are multiple aircraft ramp systems to accommodate larger aircraft like Boeing 747, 777 and Airbus A340.
"It is estimated that over 90 percent of the passengers at Terminal 3 will be serviced through the 78 aerobridges that have come up here," a senior DIAL official told IANS requesting anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
"It is notable that T3 will have the most number of aerobridges in the world at a single terminal of this size," the official said, adding: "Only the Changi airport at Singapore comes close with 64 aerobridges."
Led by Bangalore-based infrastructure major GMR Group, DIAL is a joint venture among Airports Authority of India, Fraport of Germany and Malaysian Airport Holdings.
The airport authorities have designed the airport for both domestic and international passengers -- though for the domestic sector it will not be for use by travellers by budget airlines, which already have an upgraded terminal.
The developers commissioned Shinmaywa of Japan and ThyssenKrupp of Germany to install the 78 aerobridges. These have been constructed within some two-and-a-half years, the officials explained.
According to DIAL officials, three gateways are dedicated for use by A380 aircraft with three aerobridges. In addition, six contact parking gateways and three remote parking gateways can also be used to cater to this large aircraft.
"The A380 has double deck configuration and quite a sizeable passenger load. It requires special aerobridges to allow fast embarkation and disembarkation. This is necessary to ensure turnaround times," said an official involved with the project.
"This facility is going to be used for the first time in India."