Jammu and Kashmir will soon have a bigger and better airport capable of handling 4.5 million passengers per annum, nearly four times its current capacity.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), on 1 August, invited tenders for the construction of a new civil enclave at Jammu Airport at an estimated cost of Rs 522.30 crore.
Jammu Airport is also known as the Satwari Airpot. It is located 14 km away from the international boundary of India-Pakistan and and has been in operation since 1985.
The airport belongs to Indian Air Force and the AAI maintains the civil enclave for movement of passengers.
The airport currently handles about 48 operations per day (24 landings and 24 take-offs).The annual operating capacity of the airport is about 1.2 million passengers per annum.
The passenger traffic which has witnessed 50 per cent growth over the past five years, is set to rise further. This comes in the wake of the return of normalcy to the region, after abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which had conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the plan, the state-of-the-art, centrally air-conditioned, two level terminal building with mezzanine, will have a total area of 56,693 sqm with all modern facilities and amenities catering to 2,000 peak hour passenger traffic (1,000 departure and 1,000 arrivals).
The building will be provided with aesthetically appealing and soothing interior decoration matching the city’s signature Dogra style of architecture.