The Hindu Business Line : New international terminal at Thiruvananthapuram by May

By the middle of this year, the airport will be able to handle 19.47 lakh passengers a year, with a peak hour handling capacity of 800 arriving passengers and 800 departing passengers.

N. Nagaraj, Director, Thiruvananthapuram Airport

Sankar Radhakrishnan

In 1991, the Thiruvananthapuram airport officially became the country’s fifth international airport. However, even before this, airlines such as Air India and the erstwhile Air Lanka (now SriLankan Airlines) used to connect the city with international destinations such as Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat and Colombo.

Over the past few years, the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has seen a substantial growth in both passenger traffic and the number of airlines that operate to the city.

For instance, in 2007-08, the airport handled over 14 lakh international passengers and around 7 lakh domestic passengers though it is built to handle only 12 lakh international passengers and 7 lakh domestic passengers a year.

Given this growth and the consequent pressure on the airport and its facilities, the Airports Authority of India decided to build a new international terminal.

The Director of the Thiruvananthapuram Airport, Mr N. Nagraj, spoke to Business Line about the various development projects currently on at the airport and the features of the new terminal. Excerpts from the interview:

Could you take us through the various development projects currently on at the Thiruvananthapuram airport?

We are in the process of coming up with a new world class international terminal. It is going to be functional by May-June this year.

We are making all efforts to ensure that there are no teething problems so that there is a smooth transition from the existing international terminal; only the international terminal will be shifted.

Construction of a parallel taxiway is another project that will be taken up soon. It will increase the capacity of the runway. We are currently in the process of calling tenders for it.

What are the features of and facilities at the new international terminal?

The terminal building will cover an area of 28,800 sq.m spread across three floors, including a mezzanine level. The mezzanine level will be for various airport facilities such as airline offices. It will be able to handle 19.47 lakh passengers a year, with a peak hour handling capacity of 800 arriving passengers and 800 departing passengers. The departure area will have 30 check-in counters and 18 immigration counters, while the arrival area will have 18 immigration counters and 18 customs counters.

Eight aircraft parking bays are being constructed for the new international terminal. The terminal will have three aerobridges, with a provision for a fourth aerobridge.

Other facilities such as shops, duty free area, restaurants and lounges, including a special lounge for commercially important people, will also be available.

What is the investment in the construction of the new international terminal?

The budgeted figure is Rs 245 crore, but when complete it will cost around Rs 300 crore. The entire investment is being made by the Airports Authority of India.

So what will happen to the existing international and domestic terminals once the new international terminal is functional?

The existing international terminal will be converted into the domestic terminal as it covers a large area.

Two aerobridges are being built for the existing international terminal and they are expected to be commissioned by March. Some other modifications will also be made.

We are exploring various options for the existing domestic terminal.

Will there be any changes to the existing cargo complex?

The existing cargo complex in the airport is operated by Kerala State Industrial Enterprises. We are going to get around 88 acres of land and of that 15 acres will be for the development of a new cargo complex.

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