Indira Gandhi International Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IATA: DEL, ICAO: VIDP) is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of 5,106 acres (2,066 ha), is situated in Palam, Delhi, 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of the New Delhi Railway Station and 16 km (9.9 mi) from the city centre.

Named after Indira Gandhi (1917–1984), the former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport of India in terms of passenger traffic since 2009. It is also the busiest airport in the country in terms of cargo traffic. In the financial year of 2024–25, the airport handled over 7.92 crore (79.2 million) passengers, the highest ever in the airport's history. As of 2025, it is the ninth-busiest airport in the world, as per the latest rankings issued by the UK-based air consultancy firm, OAG. It is the second-busiest airport in the world by seating capacity, having a seating capacity of over 36 lakh (3.6 million) seats, and the third-busiest airport in Asia, handling over 7.78 crore (77.8 million) passengers in 2024. In fact, it is routinely one of the busiest airports in the world, according to the Airports Council International rankings.

The airport was operated by the Indian Air Force before its management was transferred to the Airports Authority of India. In May 2006, the management of the airport was passed over to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a consortium led by the GMR Group. In September 2008, the airport inaugurated a 4,430 m (14,530 ft) runway. With the commencement of operations at Terminal 3 in 2010, it became India's and South Asia's largest aviation hub. The Terminal 3 building has a capacity to handle 3.4 crore (34 million) passengers annually and was the world's 8th largest passenger terminal upon completion. The airport inaugurated a 4,400 m (14,400 ft) runway and the 2.1 km (1.3 mi) Eastern Cross Taxiways (ECT) with dual parallel taxiways in July 2023. The airport uses an advanced system called Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) to help keep takeoffs and landings timely and predictable.

The other airport serving NCR is the Hindon Airport, which is much smaller in size and primarily handles regional and domestic flights to major metro cities out of the city under the UDAN Scheme. The former airport, which used to be the primary airport of NCR, Safdarjung Airport is now used mainly by VVIP helicopters and small charter helicopters due to its short runway. To offset the burgeoning traffic, the construction of a new airport, Noida International Airport, is currently underway.