Travelling to the airport is already stressful with the anxiety of onboarding and catching flights on time, but what is even more stressful is the waiting period inside the airplane right when you are about to land or take off. However, this time period is not about to reduce significantly with the launch of new dual-elevated Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT), the first of its kind in India!
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport will open its new dual-elevated Eastern Cross Taxiway on July 13, 2023. The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has announced that this taxiway will be inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who will also inaugurate the IGI’s fourth runway on the same day.
ECT to reduce wait time inside aircraft after landing – Here’s how
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport currently has three runways. The opening of this dual-elevated Eastern Cross Taxiway will reduce the waiting time for passengers inside the airplane from 20-25 minutes to 10-12 minutes. Let’s see how. The distance that an airplane had to cover after landing on the third runway and moving to Terminal 1 is 9 kilometers but once the Eastern Cross Taxiway is operational, this distance will reduce to only 2 kilometres. So naturally, the planes will now take lesser time to reach Terminal 1 after landing or vice-versa while they take-off.
It will also reduce the time spent on the tarmac by passengers before flights take-off and after they land. For those unaware, tarmac is the area where airplanes pull up to a gate, or head out to the runway. The runway itself is also referred to as the tarmac.
Dual-elevated Eastern Cross Taxiway: Environmental Benefits
The Eastern Cross Taxiway is 2.1 kilometres long and around 202 metres wide. This is a historic feat by the IGI airport in creating environmentally sustainable architecture. The taxiway will reportedly help reduce annual CO2 emissions by 55,000 tonnes. This is in line with India’s goal to achieve ‘Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport’ by 2030.
The Delhi Airport has now become India’s first Airport to have an elevated taxiway, and this is not only going to enhance passenger experience but also make Delhi Airport future-ready.
