Efficiency of the men and machines at the newly-integrated third terminal of IGI airport will be put on a real test on Wednesday when passengers from seven ‘terminal process proving flights’ of three major airlines will arrive and depart from there for the first time.
Air India’s plane (Boeing B777-200LR) from New York via Washington will be the first aircraft to dock at one of the 78 aerobridges of the swanky glass-and-steel building, which was inaugurated on July 3 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“All the 220 passengers and 18 crew members of the New York flight (AI-102) would clear their emigrations at the new terminal. It is going to be a real test for all the agencies at T3,” said an official from the national carrier.
DIAL has planned nine “terminal process proving flights” that will arrive or depart from the T3 on July 14 and 15.
Seven are scheduled for Wednesday and two for July 15, when world’s largest passenger aircraft Airbus A380 of Emirates Airlines will arrive and depart from T3.
Terminal process proving flights check operational readiness of all the agencies like the airlines, ground handling agencies, aviation oil companies, air traffic control (ATC), flight caterers, concessionaires, duty free shops, airport operator and statutory agencies like customs, immigration, CISF in carrying out their designated tasks.
DIAL, along with around 450 personnel from 13 airlines and other agencies associated with ground handling, screening, baggage handling at T3, conducted a full trial of all the operations on Tuesday.
As per earlier schedule, T3 was to be commissioned for international operations from Wednesday but due to non-completion of work at various parts of the terminal, airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) decided to defer its commissioning by a fortnight.
T3 will now be commissioned for international operations on July 28.
Domestic operations of three major airlines, Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher, slated to take place from July 30, were also deferred by a month and will now begin from August 27.
Apart from Air India’s New York-Delhi flight, the other flights that would arrive at T3 on Wednesday include Kingfisher flight (IT066) from Kathmandu, Air India flight from Jaipur (IC895) and Jet Airways flight (9W261) from Kathmandu.
Passengers of the departing flights will also do their check-in and other formalities at T3. It include flights to Dubai of Jet Airways (9W548), Air India (IC895) and Kingfisher (IT-041).
