India last month started work on a project that will enable New Delhi airport to handle 37 million passengers a year by 2010, more than double its current capacity, aviation officials were quoted as saying by Gulf Daily News.

The 85 billion rupee ($1.94bn) revamp will see a third terminal building constructed in the next three years and a new runway by 2008 to ease congestion at the airport.

The new runway – the airport’s third – would be one of Asia’s longest at 4,430 metres and would allow Airbus A-380s to land, Delhi International Airport Private Limited (Dial) said.

Work will be completed before the Commonwealth Games open in New Delhi in October 2010.

The Dial is a consortium in charge of developing, maintaining and operating New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi international airport.