New Delhi : The Delhi Airport’s fourth runway and elevated dual taxiway got operational on July 14 and this addition makes the airport the only one in India to have four runways.

The 4.4-km runway was constructed to handle increased traffic, which is set to go up from 1,500 flights a day to 2,000.

The first-of-its-kind dual elevated taxiway will reduce time spent on the tarmac by flyers before take-offs and after landings by 15 to 20 minutes, said sources.

According to sources from the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the Eastern Cross Taxiways (ECT) will connect the northern and southern airfields and reduce taxi distance for aircraft by 7 km. It will be 2.1 km long and 202 m wide. The ECT will be wide enough to accommodate two aircraft at the same time, including big ones such as the A-380 and B-777.

According to GMR Group chairperson GK Rao, the runway faced several challenges during construction.

The project was constructed in phases to not disrupt the functioning of the airport, especially of the live taxiway right next to the runway. The project also faced labour shortage during the pandemic, he said.

The inauguration was attended by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, General V K Singh.

In his speech, Scindia mentioned how modernising and upgrading infrastructure is important to meet the growing demands of air travel.

Scindia lauded the central government for building 66 airports in nine years whereas earlier India had managed to build 74 airports in 70 years.

He further added that his ministry aims to build more airports in the future and increase passenger handling capacity from the current 20.4 million to 400 million by 2030.

The next challenge for Delhi Airport, according to the Civil Aviation Minister, is to ensure that the fourth terminal is operational by October this year, before the peak season starts.

-B