IGI, Delhi : Capital DIALS IT

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is one of the most prominent

infrastructure expansion and modernization projects in recent times. Delhi

International Airport Ltd (DIAL) took over IGI Airport in May 2006 and

immediately developed a master plan for the development of the airport over the

next thirty years. The expansion project is being executed by infrastructure

major GMR under a public private partnership initiative of the Government of

India. Terminal 1D was opened in February 2009, increasing the departure

capacity of the airport to 10 mn passengers a year. Currently the emphasis is on

phase one, including the construction of a new Terminal 3 (T3), which will give

the airport a capacity of 37 mn passengers a year.

Terminal 3



T3 will handle 100% of international and 50% of domestic traffic when it is

opened. It will be the worlds second largest airport terminal. Due for

completion by mid 2010, in time for the citys hosting of the Commonwealth

Games, the $2 bn development will also involve a new runway which would be the

second longest in Asia and will be able to accommodate the worlds largest

aircraft, including the Airbus A380. The terminal will also have a five level

in-line baggage handling system and 160 check-in counters, as well as seventy

desks for immigration. Siemens Mobility has won the contract to supply the

baggage handling system, which can handle more than 11,300 pieces of baggage per

hour.

To ensure the project is completed in time before the Commonwealth Games, the

construction timetable has been compressed to just thirty-nine months. Compared

to the timeline of other new airport terminals, this is a highly ambitious one.

Completion of the new terminal at Changi Airport in Singapore, for example, took

seventy-six months and delivery of London Heathrow Airports T5 and Beijings T3

took sixty months each.

IT Systems



Unisys India has been appointed by GMR as a master SI on the modernization

project, including work on the airports new T3 in partnership with GMR, and has

bagged a subcontracted SI agreement with Larsen & Toubro, the prime contractor

for the project. As part of the project, Unisys will design, test and commission

the overall integration of various disparate airport systems that supply

information to the airport community, including airlines, ground handlers, and

government agencies such as immigration & customs, and franchise operators.

Unisys will also assist DIAL in defining future operational processes to support

its role as a competitive hub airport in the region.

DIAL has also entered into a ten-year total outsourcing agreement with Wipro

to provide IT infrastructure and services. The outsourcing engagement includes

delivering business IT alignment for DIAL by combining airport solutions with

governance, process excellence and integrated service delivery. The scope covers

airport-specific applications, data center, networks, security and surveillance

systems, and end-user systems. Wipro will be responsible for managing a host of

intelligent systems including building management systems, access control,

public address, and telephony.

DIAL has also partnered with Quippo Telecom for its Neutral Host In-building

Communication Solution for IGI Airports T3. The solution will be on active

fiber based technology, and will be first of its kind in the Indian telecom

industry for wireless coverage (GSM, CDMA, & UMTS). It will also provide high

speed connectivity to the passengers. In addition, DIAL has also partnered with

Motorola for the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) digital radio communication

networks. Under the contract, Motorola will supply scalable Dimetra IP based

mission critical networks by replacing the existing analog radio network used by

domestic and international airports in Delhi.

To better manage ongoing project information, L&T has implemented the Aconex

online collaboration system to control information and link the project team.

Since implementing Aconex in early 2007, companies in the New Delhi Airport

Development have used the system to manage more than 300,000 documents and 1 mn

mail itemssometimes up to 100,000 items in a single month.

CAT III for Foggy Delhi



The new code-F parallel runway that was opened for commercial operations in

September 2008, is one of the longest in Asia and has CAT IIIB ILS capability.

Delhi is the only airport with CAT III landing system. The meteorological

department has installed and commissioned the required runway visual range (RVR)

measurement equipment, which will give instantaneous runway visibility reading

at the control tower. This helps in effecting low-visibility procedures in case

runway visibility falls to near-zero. The DGCA has directed all airlines to

ensure that CAT III compliant aircraft and pilots are on their rolls for

operating at the Delhi Airport.

Priya Kekre



priyak@cybermedia.co.in