Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) switched on its completely refurbished Terminal 2 (T2) at the start of the 2025-26 winter schedule on 26 October 2025. Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu formally inaugurated the 40-year-old terminal after a fast-tracked, five-month makeover that doubles passenger handling capacity to 25 million a year.
The upgrade is far more than aesthetic. Immigration counters now integrate DigiYatra facial-recognition e-gates, six additional boarding bridges, and a virtual information desk that feeds passenger data directly into the Bureau of Immigration’s new e-Arrival Card system. Airlines have realigned operations to relieve chronic bottlenecks at Terminals 1 and 3: IndiGo flights numbered 6E 2000-2999, plus 60 daily Air India domestic services, now depart from T2, creating an estimated 15 percent head-room for international banks in T3.
For business-travel managers, the implications are immediate. Passengers transiting Delhi can expect shorter minimum-connect times, while corporates gain new block-booking options as IndiGo and Air India ramp up frequencies from the hub. Freight forwarders anticipate faster belly-hold transfers for high-value cargo as T2’s new inline screening system comes online in December.
The project also signals how India intends to compete for regional transfer traffic. By modernising ageing terminals rather than building green-field capacity alone, Delhi Airport’s operator GMR is betting on hub-within-a-hub flexibility similar to London Heathrow’s T2–T5 model. The Ministry of Civil Aviation says further enhancements—such as completing immigration at origin airports—are in the pipeline.
Travellers should note that flight numbers remain the single most reliable indicator of terminal assignment. Companies have been advised to update duty-of-care apps and traveller communications accordingly, and to remind foreign staff to complete the e-Arrival Card 72 hours before travel to leverage the new touch-less gates.
The upgrade is far more than aesthetic. Immigration counters now integrate DigiYatra facial-recognition e-gates, six additional boarding bridges, and a virtual information desk that feeds passenger data directly into the Bureau of Immigration’s new e-Arrival Card system. Airlines have realigned operations to relieve chronic bottlenecks at Terminals 1 and 3: IndiGo flights numbered 6E 2000-2999, plus 60 daily Air India domestic services, now depart from T2, creating an estimated 15 percent head-room for international banks in T3.
For business-travel managers, the implications are immediate. Passengers transiting Delhi can expect shorter minimum-connect times, while corporates gain new block-booking options as IndiGo and Air India ramp up frequencies from the hub. Freight forwarders anticipate faster belly-hold transfers for high-value cargo as T2’s new inline screening system comes online in December.
The project also signals how India intends to compete for regional transfer traffic. By modernising ageing terminals rather than building green-field capacity alone, Delhi Airport’s operator GMR is betting on hub-within-a-hub flexibility similar to London Heathrow’s T2–T5 model. The Ministry of Civil Aviation says further enhancements—such as completing immigration at origin airports—are in the pipeline.
Travellers should note that flight numbers remain the single most reliable indicator of terminal assignment. Companies have been advised to update duty-of-care apps and traveller communications accordingly, and to remind foreign staff to complete the e-Arrival Card 72 hours before travel to leverage the new touch-less gates.
