Delhi International Airport to get India's first elevated dual taxiway on July 13

The Delhi International Airport, also known as the Indira Gandhi International Airport will get dual elevated Eastern Cross Taxiways on July 13, 2023.

The distance an aircraft has to cover after landing on the third runway and going to Terminal 1 of the Delhi Airport will reduce to 2 kilometres from 9 kilometres with the India's first ever elevated taxiway.

It will also reduce the time spent on the tarmac by passengers before and after flight take-offs and landings, reported sources.

GMR Group Deputy Managing Director I Prabhakara Rao on Friday confirmed that the ECT will be operational from July 13.

Not only this, the fourth runway at the airport in the national capital will also be operational from July 13, said the senior official on Friday.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital has three runways now.

The Delhi Airport will become the only airport in India to have four runways, increasing its flight capacity multifold.

The Eastern Cross Taxiway is 2.1 kilometres long and around 202 metres wide.

There are two taxiways, one for planes to use after landing and another for aircraft to use before taking off. The ECT will be the first of its kind in India.

It will connect Northern and Southern airfields and reduce taxi distance for an aircraft by 7 kilometres.

These taxiways which can handle big planes, including A-380 and B-777 will help reduce annual CO2 emissions by 55,000 tonnes, the release said.

IGIA is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd.