Jammu, Srinagar airports to see bigger passenger buildings

Passenger terminal at Jammu’s defence airport will be relocated to cater to growth in traffic

Image for representational purpose only. | Photo Credit: PTI

Airports in Jammu and Srinagar will soon have expanded passenger facilities, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday.

The Minister said ₹861 crore will be spent towards upgrading the passenger facility at the defence airport in Satwari.

Meanwhile, Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport in Srinagar will also get an expanded passenger terminal at a cost of ₹1,500 crore. The passenger building there would be expanded from the current 20,000 square metres to 60,000 square metres. Mr. Scindia made the announcements at the 4th Heli-India Summit 2022 in Srinagar.

Talking about the upgrade, S.K. Garg, Jammu Airport Director, said, “In order to cope with increase in passenger traffic, the civil enclave at the defence airport in Satwari will be shifted to the opposite side of the runway in Belicharana. The passenger capacity will be improved from 720 passengers for every eight hours to more than 2,000 passengers over an area of 40,500 square metres instead of the current 14,500 square metres. The runway operational area will remain the same.”

Mr. Scindia also lauded the Union Territory administration for decreasing the VAT on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from 26.5% to 1%, which he said had resulted in 360% increase in refuelling of aircraft by airlines.