Port Blair Airport's New Terminal will handle 50 lakh fliers: Aviation Ministry

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that the Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair is soon going to have a new terminal building. The airport currently handles 18 lakh passengers annually.

Considering the surge in the passenger traffic, the Airports Authority of India has undertaken the work for the construction of a New Integrated Terminal Building at a cost of Rs. 700 crores.

With a total built-up area of 40,837 sq m, the New Terminal Building will be capable to handle 1200 passengers during peak hours and about 50 lakh passengers annually. The new passenger terminal building will have three-levels comprising of 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 arriving passengers, and the first floor as awaiting lounge for international passengers.

The world-class building is totally air-conditioned and will be equipped with modern passenger 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 Cityside area of the Airport will also be developed with adequate parking facilities for cars, taxis, and buses along with the landscaping.

Inspired from nature, the design of the terminal is a shell-shaped structure depicting sea and islands. The New Terminal Building with a span of 240 meters having two 120 meters column fewer spans supported through periphery steel columns, will facilitate columns less large span arrival and departure hall.

The new terminal building is a structural steel framed building provided with aluminum sheet roofing and cable net glazing all around. The entire terminal will also have 100 percent natural lighting through skylights provided at the roof level.

Curved shaped Cable Net Glazing will be provided all around the terminal building. This is the first time introduced at such a large magnitude at Port Blair Airport.

More than 65% of project work is completed and the new terminal building of Port Blair is scheduled to be ready by the middle of the next year ie 2021.