VIJAYAWADA: The works of the integrated terminal building at a cost of Rs 470 crore at Vijayawada International Airport near Gannavaram is progressing at a brisk pace. Officials have fixed the year-end as the deadline to inaugurate the terminal. In 2018, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu performed the bhoomi puja for the new terminal, spread over an area of 31,000 square metres. Of the total project cost, Rs 27.5 crore has been earmarked for developing apron, Rs 60 crore for erecting an Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower and Rs 54 crore for constructing aerobridges and improving other facilities.
The new terminal building, once opened, can accommodate 400 foreign and 800 domestic passengers at a time. The terminal building is being built using precast steel and glass on the lines of Surat, Varanasi and Prayagraj airports. Other facilities include 24 check-in counters, six aerobridges, baggage conveyor belts in both arrival and departure blocks, 14 immigration and four custom counters, 24X7 CCTV monitoring cell. The contractor has also taken up apron works at an estimated cost of Rs 27.5 crore, which will facilitate in parking of large aircraft such as Boeing 777 and 747.
“Initially, the terminal building works were proposed to be completed by August 2022. Due to the pandemic, the works progressed slowly and they gained momentum with decline in the severity of the virus. Currently, the apron and foundation for the terminal building works in the airport were completed. Works related to a two-floor building with steel and glass structure with world-class facilities are underway,” said airport director P V Rama Rao. The new terminal is near the runway and passengers can walk on the aerobridge near the apron to reach the terminal.
At present, passengers are reaching the terminal in buses from the runway. Once the new terminal comes into operation, passengers can directly walk into the terminal and reach the exit point. Six aerobridges are under construction through which passengers can directly reach the exit point from both the arrival and departure blocks. Designs for the aerobridge are ready and works are underway, he said.