The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has kicked off Rs.130-crore works aimed at creating a slew of facilities at the international airport in Thiruvananthapuram.
A parallel taxiway, an isolation bay, an aerobridge and an apron in the international terminal, a ‘turning pad,’ and expansion of the security hold area in the domestic terminal are part of the development drive initiated by the AAI.
The facilities being introduced were cleared at a high-level meeting held in the capital city on December 24, and later approved by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry at the initiative of Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal.
The process for awarding the works was at various stages, and would be completed in 14 to 24 months, Airport Director V.N. Chandran told The Hindu .
The parallel taxiway being constructed at a cost of Rs.70 crore will enable the aircraft landing here to vacate the runway swiftly.
At present, the runway occupancy of the aircraft is eight minutes.
There exists a 543-metre parallel taxiway from the runway to the new terminal set up on the city side. In addition to this, a 1,595-metre-long parallel taxiway will be set up. An isolation bay of 18,463 sq m will be set up for parking aircraft in case they need to be isolated during emergencies such as bomb threat.
Aerobridge The international terminal will get a fourth aerobridge at a cost of Rs.20.98 crore. This will help avoid the rush during the peak hours in early hours of the day. The aerobridge work has been awarded.
Two ‘turning pads’ will be created on either side of the runway so that medium aircraft do not have to go to the end of the runway to reach the parking bays.
This will allow a quick exit and save valuable time. It will also reduce the occupancy time of the runway. The turning pads will come up on the sides of the Runway 14 and 32 at a cost of Rs.15.77 crore.
The additional apron on Bay 23 on the international terminal side will be taken up at a cost of Rs.14 crore. The target is to complete it in 14 months. In the domestic terminal on the Shanghumughom side, the security hold area is to be expanded at a cost of Rs.10.36 crore. An additional 770 sq m area will be created as security hold area.
As civil works are involved, barricading will be needed as per the norms of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. The summer schedule that begins in March will see the rescheduling of some flights.
