By Michael Gebicki
Copyright theage
It’s a 75-minute journey from my hotel in New Delhi to the airport through evening peak-hour traffic that thins out as we approach the airport, on the southern outskirts of the capital. Departure is from Terminal 3, which handles international as well as many domestic flights. Security is tight from the get-go. Passengers only are allowed into the terminal, and they need to show a print-out of their booking or an e-ticket plus a passport to the military personnel at the gate.
Bland but functional. Signage is good, and it’s relatively compact as major-league airports go, so no long walks to gates. Terminal 3 was opened in 2010 as part of a huge infrastructure overhaul to coincide with Delhi’s 2010 Commonwealth Games. Today it’s the ninth-busiest airport in the world, according to UK-based air consultancy firm OAG, and it feels crowded, with seating well short of passenger numbers.
Checking in
I’m flying premium economy, the queue is short, and when I’m called over to the business class check-in my heart skips a beat, but there’s no upgrade on offer. Staff on the Singapore Airlines desk are speedy, and I’m given boarding passes to Singapore and for my connecting flight to Sydney. Baggage is checked through.
