2 weeks ago
Delhi airport plans to raise passenger capacity to 125 million
Delhi's airport is one of the biggest airports in India.
Right now, it has room for about 106 million passengers every year.
The airport wants to grow so it can serve 125 million passengers every year.
This growth is part of a ten-year plan called a master plan, which will run until 2036.
First, the airport will grow to handle 116 million passengers by April 2030.
Then, it will grow more to handle 125 million passengers by 2032.
To make room for everyone, the airport will build a new part called Pier E at Terminal 3.
Piers are long walkways that help passengers step from the terminal building into planes using aerobridges.
The airport is also thinking about a moving train that would carry people between terminals, but no final decision has been made.
The airport will talk with many people before finalising the plan.
Delhi airport plans to increase its annual passenger handling capacity to 125 million from the current 106 million.
The expansion is part of a proposed ten-year master plan running till 2036, to be finalised after stakeholder consultations.
DIAL proposes building Pier E at Terminal 3 with a capacity of 10 million passengers by April 2030.
Capacity would first rise to 116 million by April 2030 and then to 125 million by 2032 in phases.
No firm decision has been made on Terminal 4 or the Automated People Mover (APM), though a 7.5-km right of way is earmarked for the APM.
- Who
- Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the GMR Group-led consortium that operates Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)
- What
- Proposed a ten-year master plan to increase annual passenger handling capacity from 106 million to 125 million, including a new Pier E at Terminal 3
- Where
- Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi, India's national capital
- When
- Reported on August 16, 2026; Pier E and a capacity of 116 million are planned by April 2030, with 125 million by 2032
- Why
- To handle growing passenger traffic, which rose 3.7 percent year-on-year to 6 million passengers in July 2026
Key facts
- Airport
- Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), India's biggest airport
- Operator
- Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), GMR Group-led consortium
- Current annual capacity
- 106 million passengers (T1: 42M, T2: 14M, T3: 50M)
- Target annual capacity
- 125 million passengers
- Master plan horizon
- 10 years, till 2036
- Phase 1 target
- 116 million passengers by April 2030
- Pier E
- 10 million capacity at T3, proposed by April 2030
- July 2026 traffic
- 6 million passengers, up 3.7% year-on-year










