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