NEW DELHI: The Air India Group on Friday announced a major reshuffle in its domestic operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) from October 26 in light of the ongoing expansion work at T3. Air India will shift one-third of its daily domestic flights to the upgraded T2, while Air India Express will move its entire domestic operations. The international operations of both the airlines will continue to operate from T3.
An official release today said, “Air India will relocate 60 of its 180 daily domestic departures out of Delhi to the upgraded Terminal 2 (T2).” The corresponding incoming flights too would be moved to T2, said a source.
“All daily AI flights to and from Dehradun, Jaisalmer, Bhuvaneshwar and Bhuj will be shifted to T2, while a few flights from/to Hyderabad, Pune, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Coimbatore will be moved,” another source said. No flights from Chennai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad will be shifted, he added.
At the same time, Air India Express will move all its domestic operations to the newly renovated and upgraded Terminal 1 (T1),” the release said.
Airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) is carrying out expansion activities to augment international passenger capacity at T3. “The terminal enlargement works will reduce domestic capacity at T3, necessitating the relocation of certain domestic operations of Air India and Air India Express, effective October 26,” the group said.
Air India’s domestic flights departing from or arriving at T2 have been renumbered in four digits, starting with ‘1’ (e.g., AI1737, AI1787). This clear distinction will help travellers to easily identify that their flight operates from/to T2.
Air India or Air India Express flyers with connections, carrying boarding passes for their onwards flights, will be provided inter-terminal transfers between T1, T2, and T3. This service applies to connections between the two airlines and on applicable codeshare connections. “Any through-checked baggage for these guests will be seamlessly transferred airside, eliminating the need to collect and recheck baggage during terminal transfers,” it said.
“To ensure a smooth experience, Air India and Air India Express will be proactively notifying all guests who hold bookings for flights relocating to T2 and T1 (for Air India Express guests), via their registered contact details,” it said.
The statement also urged passengers to update their contact details in their bookings to receive timely notifications. Air India is also deploying additional resources at both terminals to assist the passengers.
Indigo to expand international operations from Delhi
IndiGo will expand its international and national operations from IGIA, an official release said, the three new international routes from Delhi will be Denpasar, Bali (Indonesia) – daily service from October 24; Krabi (Thailand) – four times a week starting October 26; and Manchester (UK), which will also be four times a week from November 15. On the domestic front, beginning October 26, IndiGo is introducing additional daily, nonstop services on nine routes.