Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become world’s number 1 airport in the highest category – over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) – as per Airports Council International (ACI)-ASQ 2017 rankings.
With 63.5 million passengers flying through the airport, the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) which is a GMR led consortium, has also surpassed Changi, Incheon and Bangkok airports in terms of passenger growth. It is now the 7th busiest airport in Asia and is among the top 20 busiest airports across the world.
The airport has recorded substantial improvement after the GMR led consortium took over the operations in 2006. From a very low position of 101 ranking, DIAL made rapid progress over the years by enhancing the IGI Airport’s service quality and passenger experience. In 2011, the airport had achieved the position of World No. 2, which it retained for three years till 2013. In 2014, it stepped up its position to World No. 1 in the 25-40 MPPA category and retained the rank in 2015. The airport stood World No. 2 in the highest category of more than 40 million passengers per annum in 2016.
Commenting on the announcement, Srinivas Bommidala, Chairman-Airports, GMR Group said, “This is a recognition of the collaborative work of all stakeholders in IGIA. I commend the efforts made by employees of DIAL and that of all stakeholders in IGIA community. As we witness robust traffic growth, we look forward to a strong collaboration and support of all airport stakeholders and partners. We are set to undertake the expansion works at Delhi Airport in line with IGIA Master Plan-2016. It will not just provide necessary infrastructure boost to facilitate high air traffic and passenger growth, but a delightful passenger experience with right fusion of technology and human touch.”