IGI Airport all set for a facelift

New Delhi: The Delhi International Airport is all set to get a facelift with GMR unveiling the master plan.

Kerala massages and herbal spas – those were just some of the demands made by aviation experts at a conference aptly called 'Airports of Tomorrow'. While tomorrow may never come, private players like GMR are working on making airports more passenger friendly.

The GMR Group, heading the consortium to modernise Delhi's IGI Airport is planning to add four new parallel runways with a central passenger terminal area in the middle.

These runways will be able to handle the jumbo A-380 generation of aircraft. The new plans will include 300 new commercial parking positions to handle the increased traffic, we currently have under 100.

A central transportation corridor connected to the National Highway will give passengers access to the main terminal building. Taking a cue from other international airports like Heathrow and Changi, a high-speed metro rail link is likely before the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

This will reduce the travel time to about 10 minutes from central Delhi. GMR is also looking at bringing in aero-bridges, which is the norm internationally.

'Feel-good' facilities like beer, free internet, massage chairs, mini golf clubs and showers freely available in airports like Kuala Lumpur can wait, as the first phase of the airport modernisation is scheduled for completion by the Commonwealth Games in 2010.