New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday inaugurated India’s first and only Elevated Cross Taxiway (ECT) along with the fourth runway at the Indra Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Every day, more than 1,500 aircraft pass through IGIA, the country’s busiest airport. The ECT, which is 2.1 km long, would reduce the amount of time passengers spend on the tarmac after landing and before flights take off. It reduces the distance an aircraft must travel after landing on the third runway and travelling towards Terminal 1 from 9 kilometres to just 2 kilometres.
The ECT will connect the northern and southern airfields on the airport’s eastern side, reducing the taxiing distance for an aircraft by seven km. It can handle wide-body aircraft such as the A-380, B-777, and B-747.
There will now be four runways at the airport: RW 09/27, RW 11R/29L, RW 10/28, and RW 11L/29R. The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Airports Infrastructure Ltd, operates IGIA.
The ECT is divided into two taxiways, one for aircraft after landing and the other for planes before departure. According to the official statement, the taxiways are capable of accommodating huge jets such as the A-380 and B-777 and are estimated to contribute to a 55,000-tonne decrease in yearly CO2 emissions.
