Expansion works at the Vijayawada (Gannavaram) airport are progressing fast and the proposed new interim terminal building is expected to be completed by December, according to Airport Director G. Madhusudhan Rao. Works, which were started in October 2015, and scheduled to be completed in 2017, are in full swing, and over 60 per cent of the works have already been completed, according to him. “We are constructing this building with over Rs. 135 crore. The structure has come up completely and electricity and other fittings will be completed soon. We are pushing the vendors to get the work done before the schedule,” Mr. Madhusudhan Rao said.
Ceremonial lounge
The new terminal building will also have a 3,000 sq ft exclusive ceremonial lounge which can be used for high-level meetings, the airport Director said.
The new building will have thrice the capacity of the current terminal building. Once the facility is completed, the airport will be in a position to handle 15 to 20 lakh passengers per annum. At present, the airport is equipped to handle passenger traffic of up to six lakh per annum. The passenger traffic at the airport had seen a major push after the State was bifurcated and Amaravati capital city was announced near Vijayawada. Within a year, the daily flight traffic was up from 22 to 36, connecting the city with more destinations.
This apart, the airport is also aiming at constructing a permanent integrated terminal building with an estimated cost of Rs. 535 crore. The State government is on the job of acquiring land to the tune of 700 acres here. The runway will also be extended from 2,286 metres to 3,025 metres. A ten-storied Air Traffic Control tower was also among the planned structures. “All the estimates are done. We will go ahead with the plan once the land is handed over to us by the district administration,” said the airport Director.
