With hub in Delhi, A-I eyes sharp rise in flights

National Aviation Company of India Ltd, or Nacil, the mother company of state-owned air carrier Air India, plans to nearly double the number of international flights from New Delhi as it moves its operational hub from Mumbai to the national capital.

In about three years, the number of Air India’s international flights from New Delhi is likely to jump to 190 a week, from 112 now. The number of domestic flights, too, will rise sharply, from 434 to 657. These plans are, however, subject to induction of new planes.

Air India declined to comment on the details.

Once the hub is shifted, Nacil will account for 25 per cent of the passengers handled by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) at its various terminals. It would, according to people privy to the plans, account for a similar percentage of the airport company’s revenues.

As part of the plan, which is being finalised, the Delhi airport will handle than 11.66 million passengers for Nacil in 2013-14, up from 4.54 million a year now. By that time, DIAL is expected to handle 34 million passengers annually, up from 28 million now.

The shift of the operational hub is part of a government plan to convert New Delhi into an international aviation hub, on the lines of Dubai and Singapore. This requires at least one anchor airline.

DIAL has already negotiated a deal under which about 16 acres land has been given to Nacil to build three large engineering hangers. Two of these will be used to service wide-bodied aircraft, while one will be used for narrow-bodied aircraft.

DIAL executives say that as a special gesture to the anchor airline, 34 aerobridges – half the total available at the airport – will be kept for use by Air India.

Executives close to the discussions between Nacil and DIAL say the airline has already started direct flights from Delhi to some key destinations, including Chicago and Toronto, and more will be added to the list. Flights from Kathmandu, Dacca and Kabul are already using New Delhi as a transit point for onward flights to the US and South-East Asia.