In mid-2017, Delhi Airport notified the three no-frill carriers (SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo) based out of Delhi’s Terminal 1, that on account of Terminal 1 being upgraded for future capacity, they would need to move one-third of their flights out of the terminal and relocate to Terminal 2.
As a recap, the airport operator ordered all the carriers to move 30% of their flight operations to Delhi Terminal 2 by October 2017. Then, Indigo responded in the negative and SpiceJet said if everyone moves they will move as well. GoAir Delhi originating flights have moved to Terminal 2 already.
IndiGo did not want to give up without a fight. They took DIAL to court, where a single-judge bench ruled on December 20, 2017, that Delhi Airport had the rights to move them around since this was a safety issue. IndiGo further went ahead and appealed that decision rather than respect it in the Delhi High Court again. Eventually, the Supreme Court wasn’t happy intervening and the order worked out to DIAL’s favour.
Delhi Terminal 2
SpiceJet has finally announced that they will be moving 22 flights to Terminal 2, with effect from March 25, 2018. SpiceJet flights from Delhi to the following airports will be shifted on March 25, 2018:
- Cochin (COK)
- Ahmedabad (AMD)
- Patna (PAT)
- Pune (PNQ)
- Goa (GOI)
- Surat (STV)
- Gorakhpur (GKP)
SpiceJet will change the flight numbers of affected flights, prefixing them with 8 (4 digit flight numbers) to ensure that one can differentiate flights that will fly into Terminal 2 and Terminal 1.
The airline will, of course, notify all customers about the change in the coming days. But if you land up at Terminal 1, there should be buses to take you to Terminal 2 anyways. And yes, if you have a Priority Pass, there is indeed a lounge operational in Delhi Airport Terminal 2 now.
IndiGo has also confirmed that they will move to Terminal 2, but has not announced a schedule yet.
Overall, this is a good move I think. Almost all of these moves are longer segments, except for Gorakhpur which is flown on a turboprop. This means connections should still be doable.
Have you flown to/from Terminal 2 yet? What has been your experience so far?
Got a message from Indigo that my 16th April Del-BLR flight is moved to T2 with flight number prefixed by 2.