The Making Of An Airport

When it comes to scale, zeroes begin to lose their meaning beyond a point. As one listens to the Delhi International Airport (DIAL) CEO (airport development) I.P. Rao list out the dimensions of different parts of the structure, the millions of tonnes of material used, the hundreds of thousands of people it hopes to transport from one destination to the other, the thousands of labourers (“we have a mini-Bharat here with labour from all parts of the country”) who have made it happen, the kilometres of conduits, piping, cables and so on, and even the sheer number of hours he himself has spent (he works from 7.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day), one loses one’s sense of proportion.

What is clearly established in your mind is this: the New Delhi integrated terminal — the construction of which began in July 2007 — is among the largest terminals in the world. Fifth largest in Asia to be precise (after Dubai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Bangkok).



SEEING IS BELIEVING: Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel — the man who set the process in motion three years ago — looks out of one of the 78 aerobridges at the 630,000-sq. m. of apron area at India’s first world-class airport both in terms of design and sizeThe airport is India’s first facility of world-class size, design and standards. It will make life a lot easier for Indians who have — prior to privatisation — suffered and made do with government-owned and run facilities that left a lot to be desired. India may be among the last in acquiring such a facility (most countries in Asia including China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Thailand have all done it well before) but it will not be among the least.

In time for the Commonwealth Games, the T3, which has cost approximately $1.5 billion, has come up in a record time of 36 months — Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport took 45 months — and is expected to be commercially operational by mid-July.

Link: http://www.businessworld.in/bw/2010_02_27_The_Making_Of_An_Airport.html


As one walks through the gigantic, octopus-like structure and compares it with similar structures all over the world, one wonders if India’s first world-class terminal in terms of size and design will actually function with the same clinical precision of Munich airport or the cold efficiency one witnesses at Singapore’s Changi airport. Will Terminal 3 (T3) develop into a global hub, as DIAL and the government hope? Will it change the dynamics of travel and tourism for India? Will it be what India needs to cope with the demands of the 21st century?

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel, who led the process of privatisation of Indian airports in 2006 (the airport was handed over to DIAL in May 2006), made a trip at Businessworld’s request to the almost-ready facility, and somewhat reluctantly posed for our cameraman. Patel refused to say whether he was happy with the results insisting that it is you and me who should pass a verdict on whether the airport is what we would have wanted or what Indians deserve. Take a look at what lies in store and get back to him with your comments