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Delhi IGI [DEL] connection/departure experience reports

Old Jan 6, 2022, 1:47 am
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Last edit by: TheBagman
Terminal 3 at DEL handles all international flights as well as domestic flights of Air India, Vistara and Air Asia India.You can transit D-I, I-D, I-I and D-D.

I-I transfer desks are open as of August 2022.

Below are the details for transit within T3.

A. Domestic to international transit at T3:

If both your domestic and international flights are on a single ticket, your baggage will be checked through at the origin airport itself and you should get your onward boarding passes there as well.
At DEL there are 5 ways to get from arrivals to departures (one level up), listed here in order of least walking to most walking.


1. Domestic - intl transfer gate: After you deplane from your domestic flight (or get off the bus) and go down the escalator (or stay on the same level coming from a bus) there is a special facility for transit passengers in the hall with the copper hands on the wall (red gate in the image below). It leads directly to immigration counters and security check after which you can access departure gates, lounges etc. Service on this entry point are hit or miss, but will save you a lot of walking. There are AI and AF-KL agents roaming the queues and will fast track you if running late. However, this only works if you already have your boarding pass for your International flight, have checked your luggage through from your point of origin, and have less than 4 hours between your domestic and international flights. If you are on separate tickets, have more than 4 hours for your international flight, or the lines are too long try one of the other options below.


2. Transfer desk in the middle of the arrivals concourse: always crowded. Here you could theoretically drop your bags and take the lift up to the security or checkin desks. Its a night mare, never used it due to crowding.

3. The escalator & lift on the international end: collect your bags, turn LEFT when you exit the first set of doors after the baggage belt. At the complete end of the concourse a lonely CISF jawan polices that way up. S/he will check if you have a international onward ticket/BP or send you packing to the other ways. Once you go up you get into a glass walled holding pen with yet another CISF checkpoint that will only let you nto the checkin area if your flight is in 4h or less.
4. Escalator & lift on the domestic end: collect your bags, turn right when you exit the first set of doors after the baggage belt. At the complete end of the concourse a lonely CISF jawan polices that way up. S/he will check if you have a domestic onward ticket/BP or send you packing to the other ways. Once you go up everything is cordoned off and you are shown out the terminal by the CISF guy sitting at the glass door to the checkin area you end up curbside and have to enter the terminal again.

5. Just walking out as if you want to go to Delhi: here you exit the terminal and pretend to be a regular pax arriving in Delhi. Once you exit there are walk escalators where you push your cart on and get transported to the departure level. Select one of the many gates where there are no major lines and enter the checkin area.

B. International to domestic transit at T3:

For Air India I-D flights where your domestic flight is from AI 010-399 or 900-999, you will follow the procedure for I-I transfers (see this for details). Otherwise follow the procedure given below.

For all other flights, you will go through immigration in Delhi. After immigration you have to collect your bags and go through customs. Then follow steps 3, 4 or 5 in the section above.

Security will generally not allow entry into the domestic terminal until T-4 (four hours before the departure of your flight).

Transit hotel: For overnight transit (int'l flight arriving at night and domestic connection departing following morning), the transit hotel within Terminal 3 (IHG Holiday Inn Express) is perfectly acceptable. And the views of the tarmac when having the included breakfast aren't bad. You need to have a domestic flight departing from T3 in order to use it. The T-4 restriction does not apply to use the transit hotel. But it goes for quite a premium in rates over what the other hotels in the area cost (if willing to exit the terminal building for overnight stays). To reach, turn right after Customs and look for the Holiday Inn Express help desk inside the terminal. Staff will escort you to the hotel and help with other formalities.

For other terminals:
T2 is a (long) walk from T3. Exit the terminal, turn left and follow the signs.
T1 is ~8km by road and takes about 15 minutes by taxi. There is also a shuttle bus outside the terminal which is free if you are a woman or have a boarding pass for an onward flight, and costs INR 25 otherwise. There are no airside connections.


C. International to International transfer

After landing look for the board saying "International Transfers" (DO NOT go through immigration).

1. If you are on a single ticket and already have boarding pass in hand with "DT" (Direct Transfer) printed on it, walk past the transfer desks and go through transit security. Then you can proceed to the departure lounges and gates. Note: if your boarding pass does not have "DT" printed on it, you need to talk to the transfer desk, otherwise the I-I security checkpoint will likely not let you through and send you back to the transfer desk.

2. If you have separate tickets or don't have your onward boarding pass in hand, you have to go to the transfer desk where the airline staff will check documents and issue your onward boarding pass. You cannot check-in online or get an e-Boarding Passes for international flights out of India. Check-in generally opens 4 hours before and closes 60-75 minutes before departure. Then go through transit security as in point 1.

3. There are no priority security lanes in transit security so it is advisable to keep adequate time (>2 hrs) between connecting flights even if you are in F or J.

4. If you have separate tickets, in addition it is advisable to hold an Indian visa or e-visa as you may be denied boarding at origin otherwise.

5. A transit hotel for overnight stays (up to 24 hours) is available after transit security.



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Delhi IGI [DEL] connection/departure experience reports

Old Feb 23, 2022, 10:35 am
  #556  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Originally Posted by legionnaire

A 4 hour window for..? Time taken to clear Passport control, immigration, customs at DEL varies. In November 2021 it was a horrendous 3-4 hr process.
i read one of the earlier posts as not being Allowed airside sooner than 4 hours prior to departure.
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Old Feb 23, 2022, 10:44 am
  #557  
 
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Originally Posted by zig666
i read one of the earlier posts as not being Allowed airside sooner than 4 hours prior to departure.
That is correct. I would second legionnaire on recommending the Holiday Inn Express - you can take a good nap for a few hours and head to checkin around an hour or two before your onward flight.
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Old Feb 23, 2022, 1:49 pm
  #558  
 
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Originally Posted by superboi
That is correct. I would second legionnaire on recommending the Holiday Inn Express - you can take a good nap for a few hours and head to checkin around an hour or two before your onward flight.
Apologies for being extra dense here - so even if i am checked in through, after arriving and clearing customs i won't be allowed to clear security for the connecting flight until 4 hours before departure of the domestic flight (2am in this case)? Is the HIX the only option there or are the arrivals lounge accesible from there?
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Old Feb 23, 2022, 2:35 pm
  #559  
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The two PP arrivals lounges are available for you after you come out of customs. Unfortunately they fill up fast, around midnight they are full.
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Old Mar 3, 2022, 9:19 am
  #560  
 
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I will be doing a Domestic-International transit in T3 on one ticket so I expect my bags to be checked through and have a boarding pass for the international leg. I've read thru most recent posts on this thread but still had a question about timing and lounge access.

My flight from BOM arrives at 2:30 PM and flight to EWR leaves at 11:45 PM

A post here says you're not allowed airside sooner than 4 hours prior to departure. Does this mean I cannot go through immigration and security before 7:45 PM? But if this process takes 2 hours, can I join the end of the queues at 5:45 PM? Or won't they let me even get close before 7:45?

If I start immigration/security at 7:45 and it takes 2 hours, does that mean I get only 2 hours to use the Plaza Premium lounge?

What are my options for waiting (where?) until I'm allowed to go through immigration and security and access the departures lounge? It doesn't look like there is even any seating in the arrivals hall in the image posted above.
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Old Mar 3, 2022, 2:05 pm
  #561  
 
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Originally Posted by victorindia
I
A post here says you're not allowed airside sooner than 4 hours prior to departure. Does this mean I cannot go through immigration and security before 7:45 PM? But if this process takes 2 hours, can I join the end of the queues at 5:45 PM? Or won't they let me even get close before 7:45?
My guess is it will vary. I landed around 10:30 pm and had a connecting flight at 6am. The scanner at the security checkpoint beeped red, but i ended up just getting waved around, so spend my layover at one of the domestic lounges between 11pm and 5am. Not sure I'd be willing to bet on this but it doesn't appear to be uniformly enforced.
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Old Mar 3, 2022, 2:11 pm
  #562  
 
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So here's my experience for the D-I transfer:
Even though I had a boarding pass for the international segment, at option one the red gates at the hall with the hands the pass was scanned and deemed no good. The local transfer desk in front of it was unable or unwilling to help, so i had to get up into the terminal and have the United desk re-issue the BP. I was able to use the side escalator as described with the original BP that was ok.
Overall experience was a bit over 60 minutes from deplaning domestic to being through international security, and that includes the stopover at the checkin desk. Travel was a weekday, getting into DEL around 7:45pm.
Id add that i had the benefit of premium/business lanes - the regular lanes looked crowded and probably quite a bit longer.
Hope this help.others. Cheers.
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Old Mar 4, 2022, 1:05 am
  #563  
 
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zig666, thanks that's good to know!
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Old Mar 8, 2022, 7:51 pm
  #564  
 
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Int to Int transfers T3 Help...

I have heard that International transfers are not currently available in T3. What is current status. For Canadians current India visa may only be single entry, I expected multiple entry for pandemic rules may say only single. . Also no eVisa available. I'm arriving from Canada in April connecting in DEL to KTM Nepal staying for 12 days and returning to DEL for a day or two before returning to Canada. What fan I do? Sent a message to the Indian consulate asking also.

Also I have a 10 year multiple entry visa but they are currently suspended. Anyone know of any updates on long term visas?
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Old Mar 8, 2022, 11:19 pm
  #565  
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Originally Posted by folkart
I have heard that International transfers are not currently available in T3. What is current status. For Canadians current India visa may only be single entry, I expected multiple entry for pandemic rules may say only single. . Also no eVisa available. I'm arriving from Canada in April connecting in DEL to KTM Nepal staying for 12 days and returning to DEL for a day or two before returning to Canada. What fan I do? Sent a message to the Indian consulate asking also.

Also I have a 10 year multiple entry visa but they are currently suspended. Anyone know of any updates on long term visas?
Regular international flights resume from & to India from the 27th of March so I expect a lot of changes will be coming soon. International transfers will resume by then.
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Old Mar 9, 2022, 12:39 am
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Originally Posted by Keyser
Regular international flights resume from & to India from the 27th of March so I expect a lot of changes will be coming soon. International transfers will resume by then.
Thanks, I think I'll book tickets with some flexibility.
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Old Mar 9, 2022, 1:51 pm
  #567  
 
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Link re T3 international to international third country transit

Today I got an email from the Indian consulate about a question about single entry visa and third country international to international transit in DEL. They claimed it is no problem and can be done while the AC DEL concierge and others claim it's suspended. I can't find any information in the DEL airport site. Does anyone have an official links about the policy?
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Old Mar 9, 2022, 2:55 pm
  #568  
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India
Published 09.03.2022
1. Flights to India are suspended.
- This does not apply to:
- relief, repatriation and humanitarian flights;
- flights under the Air Transport Bubbles.
2. The following passengers are allowed to enter:
- nationals of Bhutan, India, Maldives and Nepal;
- passengers with a residence permit issued by India;
- passengers with a tourist visa issued on or after 6 October 2021, or a medical visa issued after 21 October 2020, or any other type of visa;
- passengers with an E-Tourist visa issued on or after 6 October 2021, or any other type of E-visa;
- passengers with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card or booklet;
- passengers with a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card;
- passengers with a diplomatic passport and an NOC (No Objection Certificate) issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
3. Passengers are not allowed to transit through Bangalore (BLR), Chennai (MAA), Delhi (DEL), Hyderabad (HYD), Kolkata (CCU) or Mumbai (BOM) to a third country.
https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php
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Old Mar 9, 2022, 5:18 pm
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
Thank you Oliver2020, I sent this to the visa office at the consulate. Hopefully I will be able to get a multiple entry visa or resolve in some way.

Update: heard back from the Indian Consulate, for Canadians only a single entry visa is bring issued right now. Also no international transfers so you need to enter India to connect to a third country. Due to this if I'm going to Nepal I need to do one direction from another country and only enter India once. Will likely do outgoing through IST.

Last edited by folkart; Mar 10, 2022 at 6:42 pm Reason: Update
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Old Mar 20, 2022, 9:31 am
  #570  
 
Join Date: Mar 2022
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United airlines 898 at Delhi,connecting flight Uk981 immigration required at the airp

Traveling from Chicago to Delhi ua898 ,then to Mumbai via vistara uk 981, do we cross immigration and customs?

Last edited by Sharma Sanjay; Mar 20, 2022 at 1:33 pm Reason: Wrong flight no
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