Port Blair airport passenger capacity to rise 5 million

Covid-19 may have hit the tourism sector but not the spirit of travelers and the people who are continuously preparing to plan ahead and are optimistic that this shall too pass.

With cities getting unlocked and the country putting its best effort to boost its economy, the government is looking forward to boosting tourism. In a bid to increase the number of people traveling to Port Blair in 2021-22, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced the construction of a new terminal building at Veer Savarkar International Airports in Port Blair, a gateway to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said an official press release issued by the Ministry.

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The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the work for the construction of a new integrated terminal building at a cost of Rs 723 crore. The airport will be ready by mid-2021.

The airport currently handles 18 lakh passengers annually. With a total built-up area of 40,837 sq meters, the terminal building will be capable to handle 1200 passengers during peak hours and about 50 lakh passengers annually.

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“The new passenger terminal building will have three levels comprising lower ground, upper ground and first floor. The lower ground floor will be used as remote arrival, departure and service area, the upper ground floor will have an entry gate for departure passengers and exit gate for arrival passengers, and the first floor as awaiting lounge for international passengers,” the release said.

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Taking inspiration from the beaches around the Union Territory, the terminal building will be a shell-shaped structure depicting sea and islands.

“The world-class building is totally air-conditioned and will be equipped with modern passenger’s facilities with 28 check-in counters, three passenger boarding bridges, five conveyor belts with an in-line scan system and state-of-the-art firefighting and fire alarm system,” the press release said, adding, “Building will be a structural steel framed building provided with aluminum sheet roofing and cable net glazing all around.”

The entire terminal will have 100 per cent natural lighting through skylights provided at the roof level, the Ministry added..