Delhi issues final-day traffic advisory as AI Impact Summit draws record international turnout

With the India AI Impact Summit extended to 21 February 2026 due to unexpectedly high delegate numbers, Delhi Traffic Police released an early-morning advisory outlining diversions and preferred corridors for airport transfers and hotel districts. Officials warned of intermittent restrictions around Bharat Mandapam, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) spur on NH-48, and central business corridors where bilateral sideline meetings are scheduled. More than 9,000 overseas participants from 71 countries attended the six-day technology conclave, creating weekday traffic volumes normally seen only during festival weekends. The advisory recommends that departing travellers allow an extra 45 minutes to reach IGIA between 17:00 and 21:00, when heads-of-delegation convoys are expected to depart. Metro services on the Airport Express Line will run at four-minute intervals, and ride-hail pick-up points have been moved 300 metres from Gate 4 of Bharat Mandapam to de-clog Ring Road. Hotels in Aerocity and Chanakyapuri have reported occupancy above 98 %, prompting several to activate overflow transport desks and pool-sharing arrangements. Corporate mobility managers with bookings on summit dates should reconfirm driver contact details and review alternate drop-off gates at IGIA’s Terminal 3. Passengers with DigiYatra profiles can mitigate check-in queues once airside, airport officials said. While the advisory expires at midnight, organisers hinted that follow-on industry workshops may run through Sunday, and similar crowd-management protocols could return for the G20 Digital Ministers’ pre-meet in April. Delhi Police encouraged residents to follow @dtptraffic on X for live updates and reiterated that emergency vehicles retain priority passage. For inbound travel teams, the episode underlines the value of advance stakeholder mapping during mega-events: flight manifests should be cross-checked against road-closure windows, and travellers encouraged to use metro links for inner-city transfers whenever feasible.