New Delhi: About 60 per cent of Delhi airport's elevated eastern cross taxiway (ECT) has already been constructed and it would be ready by 2022-end, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Once the ECT is commissioned, the aircraft taxiing distance will significantly go down from 9 km to just 2 km as it will taxi along the taxiway parallel to runway 11/29 and use the ECT to take a straight path to Terminal 1 or vice-versa, said the statement by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
"At present, after landing at runway 29/11 or to take-off from this runway, an aircraft has to cover a distance of about 9 km. During this period, passengers have to remain inside the plane," it added.
The ECT will also help airlines to save approximately 350 kg of fuel every time an aircraft uses the taxiing route provided by the ECT from runway 29/11 to Terminal 1 and vice-versa, said the GMR-group led DIAL.
This would translate in reduction of nearly 1,114 kg of carbon dioxide emissions for each aircraft taxiing along this route.
"Annually, the ECT is estimated to reduce emission of approximately 55,000 tonnes of CO2 from aircraft," the DIAL stated.
As part of the airport expansion project, the DIAL is carrying out integration of the departure and arrival terminals of T1, construction of new T1 Apron, 2.1 km-long dual elevated ECT and T3 modification works.
