New Delhi, Feb. 28 -- On January 3, a single Indian pariah dog bit seven staffers outside Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, near the VIP gates. Kept briefly under observation, the dog bit another staffer the following day before being picked up by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) as an "aggressive" animal, officials aware of the matter said. That incident set the tone for what has become an escalating crisis at India's busiest airport. IGI has recorded 24 dog bite cases since January 1, 2026 - as of Friday - against 30 for the entirety of 2025, data sourced from airport officials and shared with the civic body shows. Twenty-two of those 24 cases involved airport staff: airline workers, security guards, ground crew, housekeeping personnel, many working through the night when the terminals empty out and the dynamics around the dogs shift. Sukhdeep Singh, a Punjab-based employee of a private airline, was among those recently bitten. "I was bitten around 2.30-3am while going towards gate number one. As soon as I took the turn, the dog came and bit me. I was given rabies injections immediately, but I have become more wary especially during night hours," he said. For an airport that serves as many visitors' first encounter with the Indian capital - and which is home to approximately 250 community dogs, concentrated primarily in the forecourt areas of its terminals, according to MCD records - the numbers present a challenge that is as much about getting the response right as about the bites themselves. Under Indian law, these animals are entitled to live where they are. The Supreme Court, whose suo motu proceedings on stray dog management are awaiting a final verdict, has already moved away from a removal-based approach: its amended directive requires community dogs be sterilised, vaccinated, and dewormed before being released back to their localities, in line with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. Simply rounding up community dogs is not the answer the law currently permits. The question is whether the humane alternative is being implemented rigorously enough to work. At IGI, the answer so far is: not quite. The incident log from January alone traces the challenge across the airport: a security guard bitten outside Terminal 3 on January 15; a ground-handling employee at the multi-level car park on January 16; a security staffer near the Cargo Terminal on January 18; a housekeeping worker near Terminal 1 on January 31. The most recent case was on February 20, when a RAXA security guard was bitten near Terminal 1's VIP entry point. "We are working closely with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in line with prescribed guidelines, to ensure a balanced, humane and responsible approach to managing community dogs around the Delhi airport premises. We recognise that these animals are part of the urban ecosystem, and their welfare and safety are as important as the safety and comfort of passengers and airport staff," said DIAL chief executive Videh Kumar Jaipuriar. The airport has designated specific dog-feeding zones near the terminals and has urged passengers and animal feeders to use only those areas, on the grounds that unregulated feeding in high-traffic zones creates unpredictable conditions for both people and dogs. Jaipuriar said structured measures - vaccination, sterilisation, and managed care in coordination with civic authorities - were aimed at creating a safer environment for both passengers and community dogs themselves. Officials said DIAL and MCD have held recent meetings to work toward more effective management....