Come June, fly abroad from the city

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 29

Come June, domestic and international flights will take off from the new terminal of the Chandigarh international airport that has been nearly readied by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at a cost of over Rs 475 crore.

Coinciding with the Narendra Modi government completing one year in office on May 26, the new facility is expected to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister to showcase the airport as one of the government’s achievements.

The date of the inauguration of the new facility will be finalised by the end of May in consultation with the PMO. AAI officials are also in contact with officials of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The Chairman of the AAI has already informed the Civil Aviation Minister.

Following clearance from the Ministry of Defence, the schedule of flights to Dubai by two airlines is being finalised by the ministry.

“We have almost completed the work. Only the finishing touches are being given. We will hand over the facility within the stipulated time,” said DK Kamra, General Manager, AAI.

Once fully functional, the AAI plans to shift the operations of domestic flights from the existing domestic building to the new terminal, which has been segregated in two parts — domestic and international. The departure facility has been planned on the first floor and the arrival on the ground floor on the pattern of the Delhi international airport.

Sunil Dutt, Chief Executive Officer of Chandigarh International Airport Ltd, said the airport would boost regional development. NRIs from Punjab would not have to go all the way to Delhi to catch flights.

Vishwajeet Khanna, Principal Secretary, Civil Aviation, Punjab, said the state was in touch with the Civil Aviation Ministry. “The airport terminal building is expected to be completed by May-end”.

The international airport will be run by a joint venture company in which the AAI will have 51 per cent equity share while Punjab and Haryana will have 24.5 per cent each. While the AAI has invested in constructing the terminal building, taxiway and other related infrastructure, Haryana and Punjab have contributed by way of transferring 300 acres of land to the AAI.

The first phase of the terminal, covering 53,000 sq metres, will have a capacity of handling 1,600 passengers at a time and parking space for 500 vehicles. There are 48 check-in counters, six escalators and 14 lifts. Three aero bridges have already been provided and there is arrangement for adding two more. One aero bridge from the existing domestic terminal would be shifted, said an official supervising the engineering works at the site. In all, three terminals will come up.

On the lines of the airport in Delhi, the entry and exit of passengers will be at different levels. The apron area will have a capacity for 10 aircraft. The AAI officials said murals and paintings that reflect the culture of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh had been fixed in the passenger circulation area. An artist had been hired for the purpose.”