Delhi Airport: More European Flights, Higher Yields for DIAL

New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) At least six European airlines have increased the number of flights from the Delhi airport to various destinations, helping push the yield higher for the airport operator DIAL amid persisting global uncertainties, according to sources.

With more wide-body planes landing and taking off, the yield per ATM (Air Traffic Movement) is also on the rise for the airport operator, the sources said, adding that the yield from European airlines alone has gone up by about 10 per cent since around September last year.

The national capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is the country's largest airport and handles more than 1,300 aircraft movements daily.

The sources said that 13 European carriers were operating 118 weekly departures from the airport as of May.

Till the period of May this year, compared to May 2025, 6 out of 13 European airlines have increased their frequencies from the Delhi airport, they added.

There are around 70 airlines, including four Indian carriers, that have international operations from the airport.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by the GMR Group, operates the airport, which handled 78.7 million passengers in 2025-26. Out of the total, international traffic stood at 21.5 million during the same period.


The yield per ATM is on the rise for the airport, with an increased number of flights being operated with wide-body planes. Such aircraft have a higher number of passengers onboard, and the landing and parking charges are also higher, according to the sources.

Yield is an indicator of revenue.

Specific details could not be ascertained.

Meanwhile, the sources said that the airport does not need additional passenger handling capacity for the next 4-5 years.

There is around 32 million international passenger capacity, including 10 million once Pier C is operational, while the domestic passenger capacity is about 74 million, and only around 55-56 million is now being utilised, they added.

There are three terminals at the airport -- T1, T2 and T3. T3 -- the only terminal that has international flights -- four piers. Pier A and B are for international operations, while C and D are for domestic operations. Pier C has now been converted for international operations.

Generally, a pier at an airport is a long and narrow structure or transfer facility from the main terminal building and allows passengers to use aerobridges to enter an aircraft.

The profit after tax recorded by DIAL, a consortium led by the GMR Group, stood at Rs 476.9 crore in the 2025-26 fiscal. The entity had reported a loss of Rs 976.2 crore in the year-ago period.