The Hindu Business Line : Tiruchi airport new terminal to be ready by March 2009

Tiruchi, April 6 Construction of the new terminal for the Tiruchi airport is underway in full swing and the steel and glass structure is expected to be ready for commissioning by March 2009.

The terminal, coming up adjacent to the existing one, will have a total floor space of 11,800 sq.m in the ground-plus-one building. The terminal with a capacity to handle about 400 passengers at a time will have two aerobridges (with glass tunnels instead of the usual closed ones), three escalators and five lifts. As there would be seven aircraft parking bays, provision has been made for erection of a third aerobridge.

The ground floor would feature a landscaped and open-to-sky central concourse, check-in area, two security holds, restaurants, VIP lounges, customs and immigration desks. A City-side canopy, lawns and about 300 car parking bays would make for the façade of the terminal, which has been constructed on an elevated plane to give it better visibility from the Tiruchi-Pudukottai Highway. Columns would be unobtrusive – with an average spacing of about 13 m two columns.

Investment

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is investing about Rs 70 crore for the new terminal. “Nearly 85 per cent of the civil works of the structure has been completed. The terminal would be commissioned by the end of this financial year. The main structure would be ready in another two months, though other allied works and interior decoration would take more time for completion,” Mr P.S.R.K. Sudhakar, General Manager (Projects), AAI, said. Construction began in June 2006.

A host of special and imported construction material such as ‘space frame and zip roofs,’ have been used in the building.

The terminal building will be energy efficient and include a ‘building management system,’ – centralised control of all amenities such as air-conditioning and lighting. A terminal building will have a separate power sub-station, Airport Director, Mr S. Sreekumar, said.

Mr K. Shivakumar, Deputy General Manager (Air Traffic Control), indicated that the airport is likely to get a modern control tower with a glass house at the top.

Tiruchi is one of the non-metro airports being taken up for further development and expansion.

The City would have a truly world class airport within the next couple of years, observed Mr Sreekumar.

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