Vijayawada: In a significant development, the proposal to develop an integrated passenger terminal to handle both domestic and international passengers at Vijayawada airport has reached the ministry of finance’s Public Investment Board (PIB).
As soon as the file is cleared by the PIB, tenders will be floated after which the works will begin. At present, the old passenger terminal is being used to handle international passengers and there is a separate terminal for domestic passengers.
The bhumi puja for the integrated terminal was conducted in December last year.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) has also appointed a Project Management Consultant (PMC) for the construction of new integrated passenger terminal. While both the terminals are interim buildings, AAI intends to build an integrated bigger terminal for both domestic and international operations.
Once completed, Vijayawada’s integrated terminal will be the biggest in the state at 31,000 sq mt, much larger than Vizag airport’s integrated terminal that is spread over 21,000 sq mts.
Once operational, the new integrated terminal can handle 1,200 passengers — 600 domestic and 600 international — at any given point of time. It is learnt that the integrated terminal building that will come up in the Gannavaram airport campus is expected to cost Rs 420 crore.
“The proposal of the integrated passenger terminal at Vijayawada airport has reached the PIB. After PIB clears the proposal, tenders will be called. Within 24 months from the day works begin, the new integrated terminal should be ready,” said a senior AAI official.
