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Indira Gandhi International Airport (VIDP) is India's busiest airport and the principal gateway to New Delhi, operated by Delhi International Airport Limited under the GMR Group with the Airports Authority of India as a minority partner. It offers four major runways, full ILS coverage, and dense controlled traffic, making it a demanding but rewarding destination for simulator pilots flying heavy or commercial types into a major Asian hub.
Indira Gandhi International Airport, known by its ICAO code VIDP and IATA code DEL, is the main international airport serving New Delhi and the National Capital Region of India. It is operated by Delhi International Airport Limited, a consortium led by the GMR Group with the Airports Authority of India holding a minority stake. For the simulator pilot, VIDP is a large, complex hub airport with four long parallel and crossing runways, full precision approach coverage, and a layered air traffic control structure, offering a realistic and busy environment for airliner and business jet operations into one of the world's largest airports by passenger and cargo traffic.
The airport lies in Palam, in the Indian capital territory of Delhi, about 15 km southwest of New Delhi Railway Station and roughly 16 km from the city centre. It sits within Delhi's controlled airspace structure, with area control divided into an eastern sector (Delhi Control Area Control East) and a western sector (Delhi Control Area Control West), reflecting the scale of traffic converging on the Delhi terminal area. Approach control is provided by Delhi Approach, with ground movements coordinated separately from tower operations given the airport's size and multiple runway complex.
Indira Gandhi International Airport has four physical runways. Runway 10/28 is 12,492 to 12,493 ft long, hard-surfaced, lit, and equipped with ILS on both directions. Runway 11L/29R is 11,242 ft to 12,002 ft (the two ends listed asymmetrically), hard-surfaced, with ILS. Runway 11R/29L runs 12,398 ft on the 11R end and 9,730 ft on the 29L end, hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 09/27 is 9,216 ft on the 09 end and 8,731 ft on the 27 end, hard-surfaced, lit, and served by ILS on both directions. Field elevation is 738 ft.
Delhi Approach operates on 126.35 MHz. Area control is split between Delhi Control Area Control (East) on 120.9 MHz and Delhi Control Area Control (West) on 124.55 MHz. The ATIS broadcasts on 126.4 MHz. Clearance delivery is provided on 121.95 MHz, with ground control on 121.625 MHz and a separate SMC ground frequency on 121.9 MHz, both operating as Delhi Ground. Tower control is divided by runway complex: Delhi Tower on 118.1 MHz covers runway 28/10, Delhi Tower on 118.25 MHz covers runway 29/11, and Delhi Tower on 118.75 MHz covers runway 27/09. Instrument landing systems are available, with ILS published on runways 10/28, 11L/29R and 09/27.
The airport originated as RAF Palam, established in 1943 by the British during the Second World War to support Allied military operations in Asia, serving as a staging base for Royal Air Force flights including those of No. 194 Squadron RAF. Following Indian independence, the Royal Indian Air Force, later renamed the Indian Air Force, took over its operation before management eventually passed to the Airports Authority of India. In 1962 commercial passenger operations were transferred to Palam from Delhi's earlier airport, Safdarjung Airport, with the field then handling a peak of around 1,300 passengers per hour. Rising traffic through the 1970s and 1980s led to a larger terminal, and on 2 May 1986 the new international terminal was opened and the airport renamed Indira Gandhi International Airport after the former Prime Minister, although its ICAO code VIDP still reflects the old Palam identity. In May 2006 operational control passed to Delhi International Airport Limited, a GMR Group-led consortium, and Terminal 3 opened in 2010, making the airport South Asia's largest aviation hub at the time. A runway measuring 4,430 m was inaugurated in September 2008, and a further 4,400 m runway together with the Eastern Cross Taxiways opened in July 2023.
Indira Gandhi International Airport remains the busiest airport in India by both passenger and cargo traffic, and is a hub for Air India, Alliance Air, FedEx Express and Quikjet Airlines, as well as an operating base for Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet. The airport uses an Airport Collaborative Decision Making system to help manage the timing and flow of takeoffs and landings across its four-runway complex. Delhi's other airports, Hindon and the newer Noida International Airport, take some of the pressure off Indira Gandhi's traffic, while Safdarjung Airport, the city's original airfield, is now used mainly by VVIP helicopter movements.