The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is extensively working towards the holistic development of the Surat airport with a project cost of Rs 353 crore.
The project gains significance as Surat is the financial capital of Gujarat and a hub for diamond and textile business in India, and thus attracts air travellers in large numbers.
The AAI’s Surat Airport development project includes extension of existing terminal building from 8,474 sqm to 25,520 sqm. In addition to the extension of terminal building, the expansion of apron from five parking bays to 18 parking bays and construction of parallel taxi track (2,905 m X 30 m) work is also in progress, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a release on Wednesday (1 June).
After completion of project, the new state-of–the-art extended terminal building will be capable of handling 1,200 domestic and 600 international passengers’ during peak hours, making the annual passenger capacity of 2.6 million, the ministry said.
Equipped with all modern passenger amenities, the terminal building will have 20 check-in counters, five aerobridges, in-line baggage handling system, five conveyor belts for arriving passengers, it added.
The new terminal building will also have a parking area with capacity for 475 cars.
The terminal will be a 4-Star GRIHA rated energy efficient building with sustainability features. The interiors of the terminal building will reflect the art and culture of Gujarat. More than 58 per cent of the work for extension of terminal building is complete and the building will be ready by 31 December 2022, the ministry said.
Surat Airport caters to a large number of business community across the country, as it is directly connected to 16 cities across the country.
The new world-class terminal building of the airport will enhance the connectivity to this industrial city, giving impetus to the overall growth of the region, the ministry said.