दिल्ली ने प्री-कोविड युग से सात स्थानों की छलांग लगाई, शीर्ष 10 हवाई अड्डों के क्लब में प्रवेश किया।

Delhi jumped seven places from the pre-Covid era, entering the club of top 10 airports.

Delhi Airport, the largest airport in the country, has achieved a significant milestone. It has risen by seven positions from the pre-COVID era to the post-COVID period, now ranking in the top 10 airports worldwide, securing the 10th position according to the Airports Council International (ACI). Although the ACI rankings were based on calendar year data, Delhi Airport, like many other Indian authorities, follows the financial year for its results. Data released by GMR Airports and Groupe ADP, which holds a stake in GMR Airports, reveals that Delhi Airport served 73.67 million passengers in FY24. This accomplishment marks it as a crown jewel for Groupe ADP, renowned for operating some of the world's most prestigious airports and holding a 49% stake in GMR Airport arm, which manages Delhi Airport through its subsidiary, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

With 73.67 million passengers, Delhi Airport surpassed Paris CDG, the flagship airport of Group ADP and the hub of Air France. Paris CDG, reporting on a calendar year basis, recorded 67,421,316 passengers in 2023. Unlike Paris CDG, which is still on the path to recovery to pre-COVID levels, Delhi Airport has grown by 5% compared to 2019, despite facing the challenge of over 50 grounded planes, resulting in potential departure losses. Throughout the last financial year, Delhi consistently maintained over 6 million passengers per month, even though its infrastructure wasn't fully prepared to handle such traffic.

The airport commenced operations on its fourth runway, along with India's first elevated taxiways, as part of its expansion plans. Once multiple runway operations and the fully renovated Terminal 1 are in full swing, the airport's only limitation to further expansion will be the Air Traffic Control (ATC) capacity, managed by the state-owned Airports Authority of India. If the ATC can increase movements from the current peak of 86 movements per hour, it will significantly boost passenger counts, as more movements translate to more passengers. The expanded Terminal 1 can accommodate more flights for IndiGo, which has been experiencing rapid growth while freeing up terminal space in Terminal 3 for the expansion plans of Air India Express and Air India.

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