Hey, so the big Delhi airport, the one that’s super busy and one of the biggest in the world, is going to shut down one of its buildings, Terminal 2, starting April 15th, 2025.
If you’re flying with the airline IndiGo, some of their buses that used to leave from the Terminal 2 waiting area will now be leaving from a different waiting area, Terminal 1. So, if your IndiGo flight was scheduled to depart from Terminal 2 after April 15th, you’ll need to go to Terminal 1 instead.
Terminal 1 is a newer part of the airport. However, there was a problem with the older section of Terminal 1 last year. When it rained really hard, the roof of that older part fell down. So, even though Terminal 1 is getting more flights now, it’s also had some issues in the past.
Because of that roof falling down in the old part of Terminal 1, they couldn’t get the whole of Terminal 1 completely open and use the new part as much as they wanted to. Now, the airport can handle a massive 100 million people every year – that’s way more than twice as many people as it could handle back in 2006 when private companies took over running it.
Terminal 1
So, Terminal 2 at the Delhi airport is an old building, it was first built way back in 1986. When the airport opened the big new Terminal 3, all the international flights moved there, and Terminal 2 basically closed down for regular use. For a while, they used it for people going on the Haj pilgrimage. Then, in 2017, they opened Terminal 2 back up again because they were working on making Terminal 1 bigger. IndiGo is the last airline still flying out of Terminal 2. Actually, IndiGo really didn’t want to move its flights to Terminal 2 in the first place and even tried to go to court to stop it.
Terminal 2 has been pretty useful for the airport. Even though it’s not as big, they used it when there weren’t as many flights during the pandemic and at other times when they needed the extra space. It also helped them out while they were building the new parts and making Terminal 1 bigger.
Delhi Airport Shuts a Terminal: The Real Reason Why
Now that Terminal 1 is open and can handle a lot of people – like 40 million travelers a year – Delhi airport is going to run most of its flights from just two buildings: Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Terminal 2 is going to get a big makeover. They’re going to fix it up and make it as good as the other two terminals. After that, the people in charge of the airport might decide to either use Terminal 2 to handle more international flights or to use it again for more flights within India.
When they fix up Terminal 2, they’re going to add things like machines where you can check in your own bags, better systems for handling luggage, and machines where you can check yourself in. Terminal 2 is important for a couple of reasons. First, you can easily get there using the Delhi Airport Metro line. Second, it’s super close to Terminal 3, which is where all the international flights from Delhi go. That’s different from Terminal 1, which is a bit of a drive away – it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to get there by road.
Where Are Terminal 2 Flights Landing Next?
Almost all the airlines except IndiGo had already moved their flights over to Terminal 1. Now, IndiGo’s flights are moving to Terminal 1 too. This will make things easier for IndiGo because they’ll only have to manage flights from two terminals (Terminal 1 and Terminal 3) instead of three like they do now. It’ll also be less confusing for people flying IndiGo because they’ll have fewer places to go to catch their aeroplane.
Right now, IndiGo has a lot of flights – over 850 every week – that leave from Terminal 2. After the move, IndiGo will have its flights within India leaving from just two terminals in Delhi instead of three. Some of their flights within India, and all of their flights going to other countries, will leave from Terminal 3. Most of their flights within India will leave from Terminal 1.
Action Alert: What Travelers Need to Know About the Delhi Airport Changes
The airlines are now selling tickets saying flights leave from Terminal 1. But if your ticket still says Terminal 2, you should ask the airline where your flight is really going from now. IndiGo also works with other big airlines like Air France and American Airlines. So, if you have a ticket with one of those but your first flight to Delhi is on IndiGo, this change matters to you too. You’ll need to figure out how to get to the new terminal, and it might take longer to get to your next flight. Sometimes, this change could even make you miss your next flight.
It’s a good idea for passengers to make sure the airline has their correct phone number and email address on their ticket. You should also check the airline’s website to see if there have been any changes to your flight that they haven’t told you about yet.