Delhi Indira Gandhi (DEL): The Complete Layover Guide

How DEL actually works

Everything international happens in Terminal 3. If your whole layover stays inside it, Delhi is one of the easier overnight transits in Asia. If it does not, read the next four paragraphs carefully.

T3 is the main event: all international flights plus most full service domestic ones. T2 reopened in October 2025 after a full rebuild and handles domestic traffic, mainly IndiGo and Air India. T1 serves domestic low cost carriers. There is no airside link between any of them. Transfers use a free landside shuttle bus that wants to see your boarding pass and runs roughly every 20 minutes; budget 15 minutes T3 to T2 and a full 45 minutes T3 to T1 once you count the wait. Airside buses linking the terminals have been announced for later in 2026 but are to be confirmed.

The transit rule that matters: international to international inside T3 works without touching immigration. Follow the orange transit signs, keep your onward boarding pass handy, and you can connect in 90 minutes to 2 hours. The moment a domestic leg enters the picture, you clear immigration, collect bags, pass customs, and recheck them at the domestic transfer desk, single ticket or not. Indian customs requires it. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours and expect 30 to 60 minutes at the immigration counters during the late evening bank when most long haul flights arrive.

One quirk catches people at the door: security lets you airside only within 3 hours of your departure. Arrive at the terminal 6 hours early and you will sit landside, where the seating is thinner and the food worse. Time your entry.

The lounge scene in T3 is genuinely good. Encalm runs lounges on both the domestic and international sides, Plaza Premium has two more, and both groups take Priority Pass. The Air India Maharajah Lounge opened in February 2026 on the international side, 16,000 square feet, and is the best room in the airport if you hold a business class ticket or Star Alliance Gold. The Centurion Lounge near gates 27 and 28 serves Amex Platinum holders. Paid walk in entry at Encalm or Plaza Premium runs around 2,500 to 3,000 rupees, which is fair value for a 6 hour overnight wait but steep for 2 hours.

Sleeping is better organized than at most Indian airports. SAMS Snooze, Encalm, and Infinity all operate paid pods in T3 international airside, the Encalm Transit Hotel rents rooms without leaving the secure zone, and the Holiday Inn Express up on level 5 covers anyone willing to clear immigration. Free options are thinner: recliners near gates 27 and 28, a quiet room on level 4 near gate 15, and carpet. T1 and T2 are hard floors and fluorescent light; do not plan an overnight there.

If your itinerary forces a terminal change, the mechanics matter. The free shuttle wants to see a boarding pass before issuing its coupon, picks up from clearly marked stands outside arrivals, and is honest but slow; the published frequency varies between sources, so plan around a 20 minute wait to be safe. Between T2 and T3 there is also a covered walkway with a buggy service on the arrivals level, which often beats waiting for the bus. Whatever the mode, treat any cross terminal connection as a 3 hour commitment, because you will also repeat check in and security at the far end.

The hotel rules deserve a careful read before you book. The Encalm Transit Hotel sits airside in T3 international departures and takes guests with a valid onward boarding pass, no immigration required, which makes it the right call for a long international to international wait. The Holiday Inn Express on level 5 of T3 is landside: you clear immigration and customs to reach it, you must depart from T3 within 24 hours, and its international wing requires baggage checked through to your final destination. Outside the terminal, the Aerocity district is one metro stop away, with the Pullman among a row of full service hotels a short walk from Aerocity station.

Leaving the airport takes a visa for most nationalities and more time than people expect. The Airport Express metro runs from T3 to New Delhi station in 20 to 25 minutes for 60 rupees, every 7 to 10 minutes, daily from 4:45am to 11:30pm. Between the immigration queue, Delhi traffic at the wrong hour, and a 60 minute security buffer on the way back, we would not leave the airport on anything under 8 hours. Verify visa rules before travel.