Passengers flying to and from the Delhi are likely to face some inconvenience between September 8 and 10, as flights will be affected due to heavy movement of VVIPs owing to the G20 Summit, likely causing delays in take-off and landing, government officials said on Monday.
Besides that, a number of flights, including some international operations, will be impacted during the Summit days.
The airport handles an average of 1,300 flights, both domestic and international, on a daily basis, and around 25% of these could be affected at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on September 8-10, according to officials.
“The biggest impact on flight movements will be on Friday, when dignitaries from various countries will fly into the city, and on Sunday, when they will depart IGI Airport,” said a government official who asked not wish to be named.
A second government official said that all dignitaries will be treated as VVIPs and protocols will be followed accordingly. “A separation of around 2,000 nautical miles of their aircraft will be maintained from other civil aircraft. They will also be given priority landing which may cause delays in the civil aircraft movements,” the officials said.
An official aware of the matter said that “according to requirements shared by the ministries of external and home affairs, a little over 100 flights need to be cancelled”.
The aircraft parking space for the days of arrival and departure has been allocated, officials said.
A number of airlines are also planning to cancel several flights during the Summit. HT spoke to a few airlines, which said that they will offer passengers of cancelled flights the option of fare refund or will readjust their flights.
Air India officials said that the airline will be offering a one-time waiver on date/flight change from September 7 to 11 in view of the restrictions. Similarly, IndiGo will also be providing its customers with an option to take the readjusted flights or a refund, its officials said.
Meanwhile, government officials said that meetings to ensure that tight security is in place at the airport have taken place with stakeholders and officers of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
In a statement last week, Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), which operated the IGI Airport, said that till August 26, it had received requests from various airlines for cancellation of approximately 80 departing and 80 arriving domestic flights over the three days.
“While we recognize that approximately 80 arrivals and 80 departures may be affected due to these cancellations, we are committed to working closely with airlines to minimise any inconvenience caused to passengers,” it had said on August 26. It also said at the time that international flights will not be cancelled.
