IGIA’s T3 becomes first Platinum rated green airport terminal building in India

According to the Delhi International Airport Limited, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport’s (IGIA) Terminal 3 (T3) has achieved “Platinum” rating from Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

About IGIA :

Indira Gandhi International Airport serves as the primary civilian aviation hub for the National Capital Region of Delhi, India. The airport, spread over an area of 5,106 acres (2,066 ha), is situated in Palam, 15 km (9.3 mi) south-west of the New Delhi railway station and 16 km (9.9 mi) from New Delhi city centre.

• Named after Indira Gandhi, a former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport in the country in terms of passenger traffic since 2009. It is busiest airport in the country in terms of cargo traffic in the recent year overtaking Mumbai during late 2015.
• With the commencement of operations at Terminal 3 in 2010, it became India’s and South Asia’s largest aviation hub, with a current capacity of handling more than 40 million passengers. The planned expansion program will increase the airport’s capacity to handle 100 million passengers by 2030.
• In 2015, the airport was the 25th busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic and 12th busiest airports in Asia, handling approximately 46 million passengers.
• 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 runway. The Terminal 3 building, which commenced operations in 2010, has a capacity to handle 34 million passengers annually. Terminal 3 is the world’s 8th largest passenger terminal.
• The airport uses an advanced system called Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) to help keep takeoffs and landings timely and predictable.
• In 2010, Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was conferred the fourth best airport award in the world in the 15–25 million category, and Best Improved Airport in the Asia-Pacific Region by Airports Council International. 
• The airport was rated as the Best airport in the world in the 25–40 million passengers category in 2015, by Airports Council International. Delhi Airport was awarded The Best Airport in Central Asia and Best Airport Staff in Central Asia at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2015. IGI also stood first in the new rankings for 2015 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards.

About the rating :

The recognition has made IGIA’s T3 as the first “Platinum” rated green airport terminal building in India under “Green Existing Building O&M Rating System” by IGBC.

• The announcement was made during the 14th Green Building Congress, 2016 organised by IGBC in Mumbai.
• The primary focus of the design team at T3 was promoting energy efficiency and improving environmental quality. T3 is designed to be a model for passenger-friendly and environmentally responsible airport facilities.
• IGIA’s T3 was also the first LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) “Gold” certified terminal building inIndia under “New Construction” category.
• IGBC, a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was formed in the year 2001 with a vision “to enable a sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025”. The Green Building Congress being organized by IGBC is India’s largest annual conference and exhibition on Green Buildings and Built Environment.
• The state-of-the-art Terminal 3 of IGIA – adjudged as world’s number one airport in its category twice in a row – has become the first Platinum rated green terminal building under Green Existing Building O&M Rating System by IGBC.
• This is another significant environmental achievement by IGIA, after being accredited as the first Carbon Neutral airport in Asia Pacific recently by Airports Council International (ACI)
• The integration of building concept from designing to operation of all the infrastructure of IGIA is one of the major driving forces in achieving the “Carbon Neutral” status. Terminal 3 was also the first LEED Gold certified terminal building in India under New Construction category.
• It is noted that the main objective of IGBC Green Existing Building O&M Rating System is to facilitate implementation of green strategies and action plans in buildings, measure their impacts and sustain the performance of buildings with respect to the green features.