Special Enclosures at New Delhi Airport: A New Facility to Lessen Passenger Inconvenience during Flight Delays

With the thickening of winter, not only inbound traffic to India from USA and other countries peaks, but also the incidence of flight delays rises at New Delhi IGI Airport.  

Adverse weather, inadequate staffing, and aircraft’s technical issues disrupt flight schedules and operations at Indira Gandhi Airport more than often. Adding fuel to the fire were the recent bomb scares to Air India and IndiGo flights at DEL Airport, causing inordinate flight delays and heavy stress to travelers. Statistically, the number flight delays at the country’s biggest and busiest airport peaked to nearly 800 over the past 3 months.

Upgrading its suite of facilities, New Delhi Airport has set up special enclosures to mitigate passenger inconvenience in the event of flight delays by more than 3 hours. Special enclosures for passengers at DEL Airport are a welcome relief as dense fog enveloping the north region disrupts the runway operations by reducing visibility for pilots during winters. Special enclosures with access to vending machines and toilets are designed to facilitate the passage back to terminals through boarding gates for passengers of delayed flights. Previously, it was sort of an ordeal for passengers, in case of extended outbound flight delays, to re-enter the terminal through the main arrival hall and queue up for security checks, along with passengers of inbound flights. The entire process would require more than two hours frustrating the affected travelers. In April 2024, Indian government’s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security brought in new rules allowing airports to let affected passengers re-enter the terminal through departure gates rather than the arrival area.

Equipped with screening machines, special enclosures across the terminals of New Delhi International Airport has streamlined the re-entry of affected passengers and shortened the process to a few minutes from 2-2.5 hours. These enclosures spanning 250 to 450 square meters each can accommodate 50 to 120 passengers at a time. Following a short security check, passengers of delayed flights at Indira Gandhi Airport can re-enter the boarding area or the security hold area and use the airport facilities available there.

Hailed as a passenger-friendly initiative, special enclosures make a dedicated space for fast security screening and a quick passage back to the terminal building at DEL Airport.