NEW DELHI: Six months after the GMR-Fraport group took over Delhi airport, the international terminal at the airport is finally going to get a little closer to "looking" like one. While work on the building started last week, passenger facilities are also being improved to add 30 per cent more counters for check-in.

"An additional 2,000 square metres are being added to the check-in concourse. This additional space would be used to create new check-in counters which would now total 100, up 30 per cent from the existing set-up,'' said an airport official. The baggage handling area is also being expanded. Passengers will get more time to grab their bags as the number of conveyor belts is also being increased to cope with the growing traffic.

Simultaneously, the security arrangements at the airport are also being improved. "Glass booths for security check of female passengers are being installed along with new door-frame metal detectors. The number of security gates have also been increased,'' said an airport official.

With changes in the security management system also on the cards, state-of-the-art scanners are being brought. This will make it easier for security personnel to scan the baggage. "Suspicious hand-baggage will be separated and checked thoroughly. Earlier a passenger used to put the bag into the scanner and the security personnel would order the bag opened only if they sensed something suspicious. But now these bags will directly go to a security official who will have an X-ray machine to examine them. If necessary, these bags will also be checked by hand. This will speed up things,'' said a security officer.

Moreover, now there will also be a dedicated queue for each flight for passengers to get into the security hold area.

On its way to modernising the airport, the GMR-Fraport consortia will also construct a new terminal building near the existing one. And to cope with the growing traffic in the air, a new runway will also be built. To be operational by 2008, it will be capable of handling the new super-sized aircraft such as the Airbus A380.

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