Andaman airport is getting a new terminal. The construction of the new integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar International Airport is likely to be completed by June next year, a top airport official told PTI recently. Currently, the work is going on in full swing for the new world-class terminal building that is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 417 crore, the official said.

Veer Savarkar International Airport, Director, Jameel Khaliq told the agency that 83 per cent of the construction of the new terminal building of Airport has been completed. Note that the Airports Authority of India has set a target date of June 2022 for the completion of the project.

The new terminal building, once complete, will also give a boost to the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) that aims to enhance connectivity to India’s unserved and under-served airports. The terminal will also provide new employment avenues for islanders and be major boost to the modern infrastructure in these islands. 

The official told the news agency that the scheme has received significant interest from leading domestic carriers and startup airlines due to the various fiscal and monetary incentives therein and the three-year exclusive right to operate on the allotted RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme) routes.

New Terminal building features:

• The new integrated terminal building is being built in an area of 40,000 square metres, 
• The terminal will be able to handle 1,200 passengers — 600 domestic and 600 international passengers– at a time during peak hours.
• The shell-shaped design of the building has been inspired by nature – a shape which is a part of the seas and islands. 
• The height of the terminal building roof would vary between 18 metres and 32 metres.
• The building will have three floors. While one floor would be used as departure and as service area, the other floors would be used for access to the terminal building and for arrival of passengers, and as waiting lounge for international passengers. 
• The airport will have four aerobridges, 10 elevators and six escalators, 28 check-in counters, an in-line scan system for handling baggage, three conveyor belts for arrival baggage, two for domestic and one for International, which will be separated by a sliding glass partition.
• The terminal will also feature easy check-in, ease of movement to departure gates and minimum queuing as well as nice waiting and shopping areas and 100 per cent natural lighting for 12 hours a day which will be achieved by skylights along the roof.
• The striking structure of the airport will have two, 120m unsupported spans, creating an uninterrupted internal space for the arrivals and departure halls, with the exterior clad in cable net glazing.

As the gateway to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar, Veer Savarkar International Airport, in Port Blair, India, is a prime tourist hub. In anticipation of a revival in the tourism trade, the airport’s operators last year commenced work on the construction of a new terminal building to increase capacity.