Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu will open the newly constructed terminal, New International Arrival Block (NIAB), of the Calicut International Airport through video conferencing on February 22.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had earlier sought confirmation from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to get Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the ₹120-crore project. But, the PMO declined the invitation citing various reasons.
Speculation
The new development comes when speculations are rife that the NIAB complex would be opened without a formal function.
“The Minister has expressed his inability to come to Kozhikode as many other projects, including inauguration of new buildings at other airports in Andhra Pradesh and foundation laying ceremony at Mangaluru airport, are also being done through video conferencing,” said Airport Director K. Srinivas Rao.
The inauguration had to be done before the announcement of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The code of conduct would possibly come into effect from the first week of March, said a source.
Mr. Rao said the NIAB with 17,000 sq.ft and spread across two floors could handle more than 1,500 passengers in an hour. The existing arrival and departure terminals would be converted into a single terminal for departures.
Immigration counters
The number of immigration counters have been doubled to 38 and six would be exclusively opened for visa on arrival (e-Visa) for foreign tourists, a facility that was launched at the airport from April 2017, said Mr. Rao.
About 20 counters would be made available for the customs wing. The new terminal will have five 60-metre baggage carousels for speedy delivery of luggage to passengers. More walk-through door frame metal detectors have also been installed.
The number of aerobridges have been increased from three to six.
