IGIA's terminal three to become operational today

New Delhi, July 14 (ANI): The brand new Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport will become operational from Wednesday afternoon with the arrival of Air India Flight 102 from the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

The aircraft is expected to land at 3.45 p.m.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the terminal on July 3.

In all, nine flights will arrive or depart between July 14 and 15 as part of the terminal activation and operational process.

The Air India flight will be quickly followed by a Jet Airways flight from Kathmandu at 5-15 p.m. The first flight to depart from the terminal will be a Jet Airways for Dubai at 7-30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Emirates will fly in its "prestigious" Airbus A-380 to the new terminal as one of the "proving" flights on July 15.

The Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL) which developed the terminal and has been given the mandate to finance, design, build, operate and maintain Delhi airport for 30 years, said it had earlier carried out extensive trial of various systems and facilities using mock passengers with dummy baggage.

DIAL is a joint venture company comprising the Bangalore-based GMR Group, Airports Authority of India, Fraport and Malaysian Airport. (ANI)