The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will invest Rs 15,000 crore in financial year 2018-19 to expand the existing terminal buildings and construct new ones.

AAI chairman Guruprasad Mahapatra said the authority has decided to have additional facilities at all the terminal buildings across the country.

“All our terminal buildings will have additional facilities. For financial year 2018-19, terminal building projects worth Rs 15,000 crore would be launched,” he told reporters at the launch of the airport operation’s control centre at Dabolim airport.

“AAI plans to build 15 new terminal buildings in FY19,” he added.

Mahapatra informed that the construction of new airport at Pakyong in Sikkim has been completed at a cost of Rs 650 crore, along with Tezu airport in Arunachal Pradesh.

“Both the airports will be operational soon,” he said.

Elaborating on the status of new airports across the country, Mahapatra said Jharsuguda airport in western Odisha has been completed at a cost Rs 200 crore and would be inaugurated in April, the foundation stone for the Navi Mumbai airport would be laid soon, while another airport at Jewar in Greater Noida is in the planning stage.

The work on a greenfield airport at Mopa in Goa is going on, while a similar airport is being planned in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, he said.

“We are seriously following up with West Bengal and Tamil Nadu for a second airport in Kolkata and Chennai,” he said.

Mahapatra said the existing airport at Allahabad (UP) will undergo major expansion and the first phase would be ready by February 2019, when Ardh Kumbh Mela is scheduled to take place.

“The existing one is a very small airport. Allahabad is going to have Ardh Kumbh Mela in February 2019, we have taken up the challenge to do new capacity within 11 months and we are hopeful that it would be operational before the Ardh Kumbh Mela,” he said.

The airport in Allahabad is being expanded at a cost of Rs 100 crore, which would be developed in two phases, he said.

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