Congestion in the Security Hold Area (SHA) accommodating air passengers at the new terminal building of Tiruchi international airport will greatly ease henceforth with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) modifying the SHA.
Passenger seating capacity has been increased in the SHA consequent to the modification work which has been completed within three months for the benefit of the passengers. The seating capacity in the SHA which was 200 prior to modification has now risen to 350.
More chairs are to be procured and put in place at the SHA to make the seating capacity as 400, Airport Director B.C.H. Negi said on Friday after inaugurating the modified area.
Guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force personnel, the modified SHA has a couple of door frame detectors to check passengers and scanning machines to scan their hand luggage.
The issue of congestion in the SHA had now been addressed with its modification at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh, he said and added that the work started in March upon getting approval from the Planning Directorate.
Congestion was felt during peak hours in the morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 11 p.m. to 2.30 a.m. every day due to bunching of various overseas flights from and to Tiruchi airport.
Barring the lone domestic airlines Jet Airways, the rest are overseas airlines operating flights to Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Dubai from and to Tiruchi daily. Around 3,000 passengers were handled on an average every day at the Tiruchi airport, a fast-growing non-metro airport in the country.
Mr. Negi told presspersons that the AAI planned to set up food and beverage and garment outlets besides a snack bar in the modified SHA after conducting market survey and identifying agencies to operate them.
