Tiruchi airport received over 90,000 passengers during COVID-19 pandemic

TIRUCHI

Tiruchi international airport had received more than 90,000 passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic with 600 services catering to 11 countries directly and many nations indirectly, Airport Director S. Dharmaraj said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Republic Day celebrations organised at the airport premises, Mr. Dharmaraj said Tiruchi airport had regular weekly flights from Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dammam and Kuwait under the Vande Bharat Missions. The Tiruchi airport had obtained no objection certificate for the construction of a new technical block - cum- Air Traffic Control Tower and the construction works would begin after the completion of the tendering process.

On the cargo front, Mr. Dharmaraj said the Tiruchi airport had handled over 1,400 metric tonnes of freight during COVID-19 pandemic from July to December 2020. New flight information display system with an automated announcement had been commissioned at the airport at a cost of ₹ 1.24 crore. We had been constantly pursuing with the Chief Engineer of the National Highways Authority of India, Chennai for the provision of an underpass on the Pudukottai highway on safety grounds, he said. The Airport canteen was likely to be commissioned in the first week of February, he said and added that the food and beverage facility inside the terminal building would be in place by February 15.

As for land acquisition, he said 5.5 acres of land at Kottapattu had been taken over for provision of a simple approach lighting system and works were in progress. Substantial progress had been made in land acquisition front, he further said.