Old year ends with start of work on new airport terminal
Times of India | 31 December 2024
123 Kolkata: Work began on the construction of a wall to segregate the old domestic airport terminal from the apron area to facilitate the demolition of the building. A new passenger terminal will be constructed in place of the old terminal.
The wall is the first concrete step in Kolkata airport's ambitious expansion plans that will see the capacity increase from 2.6 crore passengers per annum at present to 4.5 crore.New Year SpecialUnbelievable! 2025's most powerful zodiac predictions are hereHappy New Year 2025: Wishes, Facebook & WhatsApp statusNumerology 1-9: What the numbers hold for us next yearWhile 20 lakh passengers will be added with modifications that are underway in the existing terminal, once the new U-shaped terminal is constructed, it will increase the handling capacity by another 1.7 crore passengers per annum.
"The construction of the wall will help segregate the proposed site of the new terminal from the functional area of the airport. This is important both for the safety and security of airline and airport ground staff as well as aircraft and other equipment deployed in the apron area," an airport official said.
While construction sites are usually cordoned off with corrugated metal sheets, a brick and mortar wall with a concrete plinth and columns is being built to prevent any breach of security during the construction of the new terminal when several hundred workers will be engaged by the contractor.
But prior to the construction, the old domestic terminal that was built in 1995 and had a capacity of 50 lakh passengers per annum will be demolished. Even as the demolition is underway, the new terminal design details will be frozen and tenders will be floated for its construction.
"Demolition of the old terminal building will begin next year to enable construction of the first phase of the new terminal building. For the second phase, the air traffic navigation services building where the existing ATC is located has to be demolished as well. Although the new ATC tower and technical building complex is ready, vital equipment for air navigation and surveillance are yet to be procured. After the installation of the automation equipment, both ATCs will function simultaneously for at least three months before operation ceases at the current facility. That could happen only sometime in 2026," explained an official.
Kolkata Airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was committed to complete the expansion within the next six years so that Kolkata could serve as the hub for flights to east and southeast Asia.
The new U-shaped terminal will have three sections. A rectangular section that will come up where the parking lot of the old terminal was situated will house check-in counters, security check portals, and baggage handling facilities. From either end, two arms will stretch out into the operational area and house boarding gates and 12 aerobridges.
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