Delhi airport to replace carpeted terminal with solid flooring

Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India has over 170,000 square metres of carpet at its T3 terminal, but has confirmed that it will be replacing this with hard flooring.

Most world airports have hard flooring designed to withstand the many thousands of passengers and trolleys that travel over them each day. For the Delhi airport’s T3 opening in 2010, 320 workers spent four months laying 2,000 rolls of brown and beige carpet manufactured by UK company Brintons Carpets at its India factory. The carpeted area received mixed reactions, with some passengers complaining that the carpet made it more difficult to wheel luggage trolleys, while others appreciated the way in which it dampened noise and made for a more relaxed atmosphere.

The carpets require continuous deep cleaning with special shampoos. Regular carpet cleaning operations were performed 24 hours a day to make sure that every section received regular cleaning and was free of unpleasant odours.

It is not unheard of for high footfall areas to be carpeted. Las Vegas casinos are carpeted, as are sections of some other airports, but Delhi is unusual in having such a large carpet area.

Though there is a trend for more hard flooring in workplaces and homes, many people prefer carpets in their Chester rooms. A good quality carpet will last longer than the eight years the Delhi carpets lasted, provided that thousands of people do not walk on it each day. Regular vacuuming and the occasional deep cleaning are all that is needed to keep a carpet attractive and hygienic.