According to a report published by Times of India, Delhi Indira Gandhi International (Delhi IGI) airport handled more than one million metrics tonnes of cargo between the period of November 2017 to October 2018. The airport also managed the highest ever cargo tonnage in October. The airport handles around 29% of the country’s cargo and is estimated to be at 28th position worldwide.
Achievement as a Result of Serious Investments
The authorities of Delhi IGI were implementing several initiatives to increase the cargo movements in the airport. The airport launched measures such as dedicated trans-shipment facilities, development of Airport Cargo Logistics Centre (ACLC), expansion of cargo, and digitisation and technology enhancements. The airport also made significant investments for modernisation of cargo facilities in the last ten years. Moreover, there is a growth in civil aviation and air connectivity.
Delhi airport has been recognized as India’s air cargo gateway for its handling capacity, efficient process and service standards. We look forward to working closely with our partners and stakeholders to sustain this growth,” TOI report quoted Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
According to a report by National Council of Applied Economic Research, the airport is contributing a share of 17.88% to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Delhi airport is known to be well-connected to 75 international destinations, besides 67 domestic destinations with around 64 air carriers and 16 freight airlines.
On the passenger front, the IGIA handled 63.5 million passengers in 2017-18 and had movement of around 1,300 flights every day. Recently, one of its three runways closed for repairs, and the fares reportedly surged by 86%. The surge affected the journeys from Delhi to Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and other destinations for the next one week, especially between November 16-19.