Amidst the decision of the Union government to rope in a private player for the operation, maintenance and development of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has commenced the construction of four additional aprons and Ground Support Equipment (GSE) at the airport.
Four code C aircraft or two code E aircraft can be parked at a time in the proposed remote parking bays at the international terminal (T-II) as part of the steps to resolve airlines’ parking problems.
Regional Executive Director, AAI, Southern Region, S. Sreekumar inaugurated the works on the aprons and GSE on Thursday. The work had been awarded to JKG Infratech Pvt. Ltd. for ₹25.83 crore.
The capacity enhancement is part of AAI’s ₹20,000-crore infrastructure upgrade plan to add 273 parking bays at 24 airports managed by it in the country.
Once the four are commissioned, the number of parking bays in T-II will go up to 13. T-I, the domestic terminal on the Shanghumughom side, now has 11 parking bays.
Taxiway to be closed
For taking up the work, the taxiway will be closed. A Notice to Airmen (Notam) has been issued to alert pilots worldwide as the work has to be undertaken in the operational area.
A category-IX new fire station is being constructed as part of upgrading the fire and rescue services of the airport.
₹115-crore ATC
A new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower-cum-technical block, 49-m high and costing ₹115 crore, is also being constructed on the Chakka side. The new ATC tower will have the latest equipment to handle the increasing traffic.
The widening and strengthening of the existing perimeter road at a cost of ₹9.19 crore will be awarded shortly to facilitate cargo movement from T-II to T-I, according to the AAI.
