The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the newly constructed terminal at the Calicut International Airport. The inauguration of the New International Arrival Block (NIAB) has been tentatively scheduled for February 10.
Officials are seeking a confirmation from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to get Mr. Modi for the inauguration of the ₹120-crore project. The PMO had asked all Union Ministries last year to furnish State-wise details of projects that would be ready for foundation stone-laying or inauguration before the announcement of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Sources said that several airport projects in Telangana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu either have to be commissioned or initiated. The Prime Minister inaugurating the NIAB would not have any political significance as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has less or little stake in north Kerala except that the party could play spoilsport to the main two coalitions in the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency.
Rumours were rife that the NIAB complex would be opened without any formal function. Even then the AAI also wants Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu to open the state-of-the-art complex having a space of 17,000 sq.ft. spread across two floors. The work for the project was started in January 2016.
Facilities
The new terminal will have five 60-metre baggage carousels for speedy delivery of luggage to passengers. Besides, the number of X-ray machines of the Customs Department will increase from three to five. International passengers will not have to wait for 10 minutes in a queue at the check-in counter. The airport will have the capacity to handle 1,527 passengers an hour.
Also, passengers will not have to wait endlessly at customs and security counters. More door frame metal detectors will be installed. The number of emigration counters will be doubled to 16. Three counters will be exclusively opened for visa-on arrival (e-visa) for foreign tourists, a facility that was started at the airport from April, 2017.
The number of aerobridges will also go up from three to six. The new facility will enable passengers to go to the airport terminal gate to board an airplane and vice-versa without having to transport via buses.
