NEW DELHI: Almost one-and-half years after India’s first dedicated General Aviation (GA) terminal got operational at Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has constructed two state-of-the-art maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) hangars.
These hangars, spreading over 2,000 square metre (sqm) serve the business jets and general aviation and it can accommodate six to eight mid-size aircraft. Two concessionaires – Bird Execujet Airport Services Private Limited and Indamer MJets Airport Services Private Limited – operate the GA terminal, which was inaugurated in September 2020.
According to DIAL, the new hangars will not only help save time and money for the operators but also reduce environmental pollution to a large extent. Earlier GA aircraft and business jets had to burn fuel while travelling an 8-10 km stretch to undergo maintenance at hangars near terminal one (T1). These aircraft also had to cross one active runway while reaching the old hangers near T1 often leading to wastage of time and fuel. The old hangers at T1 have already been dismantled.
“DIAL is the pioneer in building world-class airport infrastructure. The dedicated General Aviation facility – GA Terminal and aircraft parking bays – was the first-of-its-kind in India. This facility has put India at par with some of the world’s best airports. Moving forward, we have developed dedicated MRO hangars with world-class facilities near the GA terminal, which also are the first in the country.
This facility not only benefits the aircraft operators but also helps Delhi Airport in achieving its environmental sustainability goals,” said Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, DIAL. These hangars also have close to 4,600 sqm of front maintenance holding area, which is available to accommodate aircraft needing minor repair.