Lack of canteen facility at the Tiruchi international airport to serve passengers, visitors, and airport staff besides other stakeholders will soon become a thing of the past.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has awarded the contract to a private agency for running the canteen at the city side of the international airport thereby setting the stage for the opening of this long-felt facility.
A Thanjavur-based agency has been given the contract for five years to run the canteen which has been a persistent demand from air travellers and other agencies connected with the airport.
With the building for running the canteen already in place, the AAI has provided other basic amenities such as electricity and reverse osmosis water cooler required for the operation of the canteen, Airport Director B.C.H. Negi told The Hindu on Friday. The private agency would bring in necessary paraphernalia, including utensils and gas stoves, besides engaging manpower to run the eatery. Now that the contract has been awarded, airport authorities expect that the canteen would become functional within a month.
The constant demand for a full-fledged canteen was kept on various occasions in the wake of steady increase in overseas flights movements and the sharp rise in passenger traffic over the years.
On an average, 15 flights were operated every day from Tiruchi to overseas destinations such as Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai with the number of passengers handled being 3,000 to 3,500 a day. The airport is abuzz even during late hours because of frequent overseas flight movements.
The functioning of a full-fledged canteen was deemed necessary for the airport staff and those working with connected agencies.
Mr. Negi said the canteen would run round-the-clock and serve the passengers and visitors coming to receive or see them off as well as staff of the AAI and other agencies.
The contract has been awarded to a private agency for five years
The canteen would function 24 hours to cater to AAI staff also
