Low-cost carrier IndiGo has written to the Delhi airport operator refusing to shift a part of its flight operations from terminal 1 (T1) to terminal 2 (T2) and threatened "action" if it is forced to do so.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) had asked airlines operating from T1 to shift one-third of their flights to T2 to be able to carry out expansion work according to its master plan and to meet growing passenger numbers.
No-frills airlines IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir operate from T1, which handled around 24 million passengers in 2016-17 whereas its rated capacity is 20 million passengers per annum.
"We are not agreeable to shifting only a part of our operations from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi with effectfrom October 29, 2017, as this will result in widespread confusion and cause grave inconvenience to our passengers, who already hold confirmed bookings," says the letter from IndiGo to DIAL.
The partial transfer of flights was expected to start this month.
"We reserve our rights to make a detailed representation on this matter and take any other action that we may consider necessary in the interest of our passengers," the airline said, implying that it could take legal recourse.
Currently, there are two operational terminals at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport -- T1 and T3.
According to the master plan, capacity of T1 will be doubled from 20 million to 40 million and the capacity of T3 will be increased from 34 million to 45 million.
Departure terminal T1D would be merged with arriving terminal T1C and then expanded to accommodate 40 million passengers per annum.
Once the work is completed, operations from T2 would be shifted back to T1. After that, T2 would be demolished and a new terminal T4 will come up.
The master plan also proposes a fourth runway at IGI airport by 2021.
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