Delhi Airport Terminal 3: Pier C to handle international flights from next month

The conversion of Pier C will increase the airport’s international passenger handling capacity by around 50 per cent, adding nearly 10 million passengers per annum (MPPA). With this expansion, the total international capacity of Terminal 3 will rise to approximately 30-32 MPPA.

DIAL has also introduced major upgrades to improve departure and arrival efficiency and reduce waiting times at key passenger areas. These include:

• Introduction of 12 new Self-Baggage Drop (SBD) counters. This will help in improving check-in efficiency by around 10 per cent, which will take the number of SBDs in T3 to 26.
• Setting up of 20 emigration counters, including Trusted Traveller Programme (TTP) counters
• Introduction of 5 Automatic Tray Retrieval System (ATRS) lanes and dual-view X-BIS machines for faster security screening
• Conversion of 16 boarding gates for international operations.
• 40 additional Bureau of Immigration (BOI) counters in arrivals
• Installation of 3 new escalators and four lifts to facilitate smooth movement of passengers and goods.

It also stated that the readiness of Pier C will strengthen Delhi Airport’s capability to handle wide-body and next-generation aircraft, including the A350.

“The conversion of Pier C also strengthens airside operations by improving stand availability and gate allocation for international flights. With 16 Code-C stands and associated gates, the pier will support faster aircraft turnarounds and greater operational flexibility, contributing to more reliable on-time performance,” it said.