The government on Wednesday approved the expansion and upgrading of terminals at Chennai, Guwahati and Lucknow airports at a total cost of ₹5,082 crore.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the media the aviation industry would see a total investment of ₹1 lakh crore on airport infrastructure in the next 4-5 years.
This will include an expenditure of ₹20,178 crore for upgrading existing airports, ₹50,000 crore on the development of new airports as well as an expenditure of ₹25,000 crore by private airport operators such as those in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
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Chairman of Airports Authority of India Guruprasad Mohapatra said new terminals at three airports would be ready by 2021. After the upgradation work, the airports at Guwahati and Chennai would be able to cater to growth in passenger traffic till 2027, while the Lucknow airport would be able to handle passenger growth till 2031.
‘To reflect heritage’
The new terminals would reflect the cultural heritage of the State in which they are located, Mr. Mohapatra said.
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He added that for this purpose a design council had been set up in AAI. Amounts of ₹1 crore would be set aside for bigger airports and ₹25 lakh for smaller airports for expenditure related to work by local artists and craftsmen in the buildings.
‘Biometric ids’
AAI airports of Kolkata, Varanasi and Vijaywada would be the first to have biometric-based identification of passengers after the Ministry finalises the rules and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation finalises them, said the Chairman.
A total of 25 airports had so far been connected under the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme so far, Mr. Mohapatra said. There have been two rounds of bidding for these routes, in which a total 70 airports and 31 helipads were to be connected.