The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the company that runs and oversees the airport in the capital, has put 57 electric vehicles into service (EVs). The EVs have been deployed as a part of the Green Transportation Program that DIAL announced for World Environment Day in June of this year.
As a result, the Delhi Airport is now using EVs more than any other airport in the nation. According to officials, the action will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 1,000 tonnes every year.
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In the first phase, DIAL has placed an order for 64 EVs for its airside and landside operations. Of these, 57 have already been deployed while the remaining seven are expected soon.
Of these 57 EVs, 21 are being deployed on the airside and would be used by Airside operations, Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting and AGL teams, while the remaining 36 would be used by various DIAL departments which include Environment, Horticulture, and cargo, etc. on the landside.
The Green Transportation program, launched in June 2022, aims at enabling DIAL the swift transition to green mobility, thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and enabling Delhi Airport to become a “Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport '' (NCEA) by 2030.
DIAL has also installed 12 charging stations with 22 charging ports across the airport to support EV charging for customers, staff members, and taxi service providers. This has been done to ensure a smooth transition to electric mobility in the airport ecosystem.
Along with the newly introduced EVs, DIAL has made it easier for people to take electric buses to get from Terminal 3 to the Passenger Transport Centre (PTC) building.
These buses currently ferry passengers on a regular interval of 20 minutes between these two locations.
“Ensuring sustainable development through environmental protection is one of the key focus areas of DIAL. DIAL has committed to becoming a ‘Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport by 2030’. The deployment of electric vehicles for managing airport operations is a first-of-its-kind initiative by any Indian airport," said Videh Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL.
It is a step forward to achieving the self-set goal. When packaged with appropriate ground support technology and infrastructure, electric mobility presents a viable alternative for reducing vehicular emissions at the airport. We have also set up EV charging stations and plan to add more such stations in a phased manner to support the growing need."
