Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) on Monday said the Indira Gandhi International Airport has reached a significant milestone by establishing connectivity to 150 destinations. The landmark was achieved with the launch of direct flights between Delhi and Bangkok-Don Mueang (DMK) by Thai AirAsia X on Sunday, according to an official release.
DIAL also said it has become the first airport in the country to connect 150 destinations. The airport handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.
"Of all the long-haul destinations from India, 88 per cent of destinations are connected from Delhi and 56 per cent of all long-haul weekly flights departing from India, operate from Delhi. Almost 50 per cent (42 per cent to be precise) of long-haul passengers from India chose Delhi airport as their gateway," it said.
Special enclosures to accommodate passengers
In another development, special enclosures were set up recently at the Delhi airport to accommodate passengers who have disembarked from flights that have been delayed for over three hours to allow their faster return to the terminal to board their respective flights. To reduce the discomfort and waiting time for such passengers to board their respective flights again, they will not be required to go through the normal process for security check-ins and the process will be done separately to allow them to return to the Security Hold Area (SHA), according to airport operator DIAL.
The government has relaxed the security protocols at airports to allow passengers of flights delayed by over three hours or cancelled due to fog, weather or technical issues to disembark and return to the terminal. Following the eased norms, DIAL said it has set up special enclosures at all three terminals -- T1, T2 and T3 -- for such passengers that will allow them back inside the terminal concerned.
"Ranging from 250 to 450 square meters, these enclosures will be able to hold between 55 and 120 passengers at a time. They are intended to facilitate security screening, allowing passengers to smoothly re-enter the terminal's Security Hold Area (SHA)," Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said in the release.
(With inputs from PTI)
ALSO READ: Noida international airport: Flight tickets could be cheaper than IGI airport in Delhi, here's why
