How Delhi Airport Changed Bollywood Stereotypes, And The Economics Of Flying

Movies are not only a form of entertainment, but also a reflection of human progress and evolution. When the Bollywood films of yore showed a character dressed in a prim-white suit stepping out of an airport, we knew this was a rich and powerful guy. Similarly, when the movie introduced us to a character dressed in ordinary clothing coming out of a railway station drenched in sweat, and waiting for a taxi or autorickshaw, we knew this was the stereotype of a hard-working common man.

Much as these scenes were entertaining, they do not find a place in today's flicks. The paradigms have changed, and so have the stereotypes. Now, the airports are much swankier than before, but they do not symbolise privileges of the rich and powerful alone. While this is a clear sign of a rise in the income level of the middle class in India, this also indicates the efforts of various agencies to make such facilities available to one and all.

For those living in Delhi, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is not only about rising incomes and efforts to broadbase the usage; there is a third phenomenon, too. Over the past 10 years, the airport has seen a substantial change in terms of expansion and design. In 2017, the airport was the 16th busiest airports in the world in terms of traffic volumes. And, there is a reason for that. Not only the airporrt is accessible to the middle-class fliers and the rich and powerful alike, but it is also one of the best airports globally. 

For 12 years now, the airport has been operated as a private entity by Delhi International Airport Ltd, a joint venture among GMR Group (54 per cent share), Airport Authority of India (26 per cent), Fraport AG (10 per cent) and Eraman Malaysia (10 per cent. PropGuide looks at how during these 10 years the place has become more and more approachable to the common man.

In private hands: The IGIA journey

On September 14, 2005, a consortium led by infrastructure major GMR was one of the five bidders for modernising and managing Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, the eighth-largest airport in the world. The consortium won the bid in January 2006 and the management of the Delhi airport, ranked 101st globally at the time, was handed over to DIAL on May 3, 2006.

The airport went on to win the SKYTRAX award as the world's most-improved airport in 2012, and by 2014 it reached the peak as the best airport in the world in the category of 25-40 million passengers a year. The airport retained the award for 2015, too.

That clearly has been a dramatic journey for an airport that was voted the worst airport in terms of air service quality in 2007.

During the past decade, things changed for the better for the Delhi airport. And, among many things that made flying more affordable were some remarkable changes that DIAL brought to the table. These include:

Airport infra: The existing terminals were upgraded and a new runway was commissioned in 2008. In 2009, a new domestic departure terminal, 1D (T1D) was also commissioned. It all looked better. The foundation for Terminal 3 (T3) was laid on February 17, 2007, and the operations started on November 14, 2010. Constructed in a record 37 months, the terminal has a capacity of handling 34 million passengers a year. An architectural marvel, this swanky terminal, spread over 5.4 million sq ft, changed the way people flew to and from Delhi.

Radio taxis: In 2010, radio taxis commenced post-paid services at the IGI airport.

Metro link: The Delhi Airport Metro Express, a Delhi Metro line, opened for public on February 2011. Despite the initial hiccups, this Metro connectivity between New Delhi and Dwarka Sector 11, which links Terminal 3 of IGIA, has made it quite affordable for the common man to reach the airport, which is 16 km away from the city centre. By paying under Rs 100, you can reach the airport from Connaught Place within 20 minutes.

Budget airlines: One of the most impactful phenomena of the past decade has been the rise of budget airlines, which has changed the flying matrix altogether. With nine domestic airlines, most of them in the budget category, DIAL has been instrumental in bringing down the flying cost.

Challenges and future plans: While the future plans of DIAL include commissioning a new runway and expansion of the T1D and other infrastructure, along with the demolition of the Haj Terminal, it may have to work harder to handle the ever-increasing footfall.