Airlines likely to save ₹150-180 crore by using Eastern Cross Taxiways at Delhi airport: DIAL CEO

There can be savings of ₹150 to ₹180 crore for airlines by using the ECT, he said.

The ECT, which is 2.1 km long and can accommodate wide-body aircraft, will reduce the time spent on the tarmac by passengers after landing and before take-off of their flights. It was inaugurated on July 14.

Citing back-of-the-envelope calculations, Jaipuriar said DIAL has made an estimation of how many aircraft will be using the ECT and how much of travel time will be reduced.

"Each litre of ATF produces 2.5-3 kg of carbon dioxide. If we are talking about saving 55,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, you divide it by 3 and that basically means around 18,000 tonnes of ATF."

"Each tonne of ATF costs ₹1 lakh and it is ₹100 per litre… savings for airlines because of lower taxiing time is expected to be around ₹150-180 crore," he said.

On average, Jaipuriar said 7-8 minutes of taxiing time is saved for an aircraft that lands in the north and comes to the south through the ECT.

As per DIAL, the ECT is estimated to save around 350 kg of fuel every time an aircraft taxis through the runway from RW 29R to Terminal 1 and vice-versa.

"This translates into a reduction of nearly 1,114 kilograms of CO2 emissions for each aircraft taxiing along this route. On an annual basis, the ECT is estimated to reduce emissions of approximately 55,000 tonnes of CO2 from aircraft," it said in July this year.

DIAL had also said 55,000 tonnes of CO2 emission is equivalent to planting about 15 lakh trees.

The ECT connects the northern and southern airfields on the eastern side of the airport and will reduce the taxiing distance for an aircraft by 7 kilometres. The distance an aircraft needs to cover after landing on the third runway and going to Terminal 1 (T1) will be reduced to 2 kilometres from 9 kilometres now.

The dual-lane ECT can handle wide-body aircraft, including A380 and B777 and B747. Each lane is 44 metres wide, with a gap of 47 metres between them to allow simultaneous passage of two aircraft.