Question 1

How early can I enter the terminal at Delhi Airport?

Accepted Answer

On a domestic ticket you can walk in at any time on the day of your flight, though check-in counters open three hours before departure. On an international ticket, entry opens eight hours before departure, with check-in counters opening four hours out. Either way, you need a valid ticket to get past the door — there is no general public access to the terminals.

Question 2

Can someone without a ticket come inside to see me off or receive me?

Accepted Answer

Only through the paid Meet & Greet area, and only at Terminal 3: a Visitor Entry ticket costs ₹150 per person, is valid for three hours from issue, and requires a government ID (children under three go free). It is bought at the counter near Pillar 10 in the T3 arrival forecourt, and laptops or bags are not allowed in on it. There is no equivalent at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2.

Question 3

Do I still need a physical or printed boarding pass if I use DigiYatra?

Accepted Answer

Yes. DigiYatra’s facial recognition speeds you through entry, security and boarding without showing documents at every checkpoint, but the airport’s own guidance is to always carry a physical or mobile boarding pass as backup — airline and immigration staff can still ask for it.

Question 4

My airline flies from more than one terminal — how do I know which one is mine?

Accepted Answer

Check the flight number, not just the airline name. IndiGo flies from Terminal 1 for most of its schedule but shifts to Terminal 3 for its 5000–5999 series; SpiceJet does the same with its 8000–8999 series at T3 rather than T1. Air India’s domestic flights split between Terminal 2 (AI1700–AI1899) and Terminal 3 (AI1100–AI1199), while every international departure — whatever the airline — leaves from T3.

Question 5

I have a connecting flight from a different terminal — do I need to clear immigration twice?

Accepted Answer

If either leg is international, yes: immigration is mandatory before boarding the next flight regardless of whether you stay in the same terminal or move to another one. Baggage usually follows automatically if your whole trip is on one ticket (PNR) — check the bag tag — but with two separate tickets you must collect your bags, recheck them, clear immigration if needed, and go through security again.

Question 6

What is the fastest way between Delhi’s three terminals?

Accepted Answer

A free inter-terminal shuttle runs around the clock (the airport’s own pages differ on the interval — 10 or 20 minutes depending on which one you read); collect a coupon from the shuttle desk if you are on a connecting ticket, or pay a small fare if not. Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 are also close enough to walk, about 500 metres apart through a signed pedestrian route, and a free buggy covers the same stretch for reduced-mobility passengers, senior citizens, expectant mothers and anyone travelling with an infant.

New Delhi, Delhi (National Capital Territory)

DEL questions travelers actually ask