India's first General Aviation Terminal was inaugurated at Delhi Airport on Thursday, September 17, 2020. India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the terminal at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The terminal can cater to 150 private movements daily and handle over 50 passengers every hour, the Delhi Airport tweeted.

Aviation minister @HardeepSPuri, @MoCA_GoI inaugurated the General Aviation Terminal at #DelhiAirport today. All set to expand and enhance our boundaries! pic.twitter.com/nb4LSH5A17

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) September 17, 2020

"Today we have more than 100 general aviation aircraft & more than 300 non-scheduled operators registered with DGCA. We see this figure growing further in coming days. A general aviation terminal was the need of the hour at Delhi Airport, even in these times," the minister tweeted.

The minister further added that this new world class terminal will help ease passenger movement, fulfill needs of general aviation users & will contribute to the growth of civil aviation sector in the country.

"A general aviation terminal was the need of the hour at Delhi Airport, even in these times. This new world class terminal will help ease passenger movement, fulfill needs of general aviation users & will contribute to the growth of civil aviation sector in the country," said Hardeep Singh Puri, Civil Aviation Minister.

Speaking about Delhi airport's growth and history, Puri said that while consistently ranked among top airports in the world, Delhi Airport has made a consistent growth in handling passengers. "Safdarjung Airport, the first airport of Delhi, was built around 1930. With the inauguration of Terminal 2, in May 1986, the airport was renamed as IGIA & we were handling about 5.57 Million passengers per annum (MPPA).When traffic increased, in 1962 flight operations were shifted to Palam Airport which was built around WW-II & served as a Station for the Indian Air Force. The airport was leased out under PPP in the year 2006. In 2006-07 the airport handled 20.44 MPPA which now stands close to 70 MPPA. When traffic continued to grow in the 70s, an additional terminal with nearly 4 times the area was constructed," he stated.

Happy to inaugurate a General Aviation Terminal at @DelhiAirport today.

Today we have more than 100 general aviation aircraft & more than 300 non-scheduled operators registered with DGCA.

We see this figure growing further in coming days. pic.twitter.com/awpAlmyYLN

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 17, 2020

Bird ExecuJet Airport Services (BEAS) Private Limited, which is a joint venture between Bird Group and ExecuJet MRO Services, has set up the country's first dedicated terminal for private jets in New Delhi.

“This is the first fully integrated terminal for smaller aircraft which means everything related to the small aircraft from baggage to customs to immigration will be done here and this would be closer to the operational runway hence save significant time. It will make flying for small aircraft easier and the airport more efficient. This is also creating an enabling infrastructure for them, with separate parking also available for general business aircraft which is very crucial because parking was always an issue earlier,” Group Captain Rajesh Bali, Managing Director of theBusiness Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) had told BizAv India in an earlier story.

Bird ExecuJet Airport Services (BEAS) Private Limited, which is a joint venture between Bird Group and ExecuJet MRO Services, has set up the country's first dedicated terminal for private jets in New Delhi.

The terminal is said to have a common lounge, two private lounges, one crew lounge, facilities for shower and other utilities along with a food and beverage counter. There is also a small retail area with duty free shopping planned for international passengers and crew. They can place the order online and collect when they arrive or depart. Additionally when one crosses the retail area, there are three passages, one for baggage screening, second for arrival passage and third one is departure passage. Customs and immigration facility is also available at this terminal for international passengers.The facility is also said to consist of 70 plus aircraft parking bays, two aircraft hangars and two fixed-base operators (FBOs) to provide aeronautical services; the integrated facility will be capable of handling round-the-clock aircraft movements, BEAS' CEO Anurag Srivastava had earlier informed BizAv India.

This is a very significant and much awaited development that in expected to support and facilitate the General Aviation industry in the country.