Plan afoot to expand Amritsar airport

To accommodate the increasing traffic, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to expand and renovate the terminal building at Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport in Amritsar. Work for this will start soon. Information regarding this was shared by the Union Minister for Civil Aviation with Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla.

The Union Minister stated that about 10,000 square meters of additional space has been added to the terminal under the project. The peak-hour passenger handling capacity of the terminal is expected to increase from 1,600 to 2,000 after the expansion.

The ministry emphasised that expansion and upgrade is an ongoing process undertaken by the AAI and other airport operators based on factors such as passenger demand, land availability, commercial facilities, socio-economic considerations and airline interest. About the complaints of harassment of passengers by ground handling staff, the ministry said no such complaints have been received.

However, the ministry assured that necessary measures have been taken to address passenger concerns, including prominently displaying contact numbers for the duty terminal manager and CISF control room, as well as dedicated help desks at both departure and arrival terminals. In response to concerns about exploitation of wheelchair-bound passengers, the ministry highlighted that the government has issued accessibility standards and guidelines for civil aviation to ensure safe and independent movement of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility.