Sanjeev Jindal, Executive Director (Engineering-Civil), Southern Region, Airports Authority of India (AAI), New Delhi, announced that the new integrated passenger terminal building under development at Tiruchi International Airport is expected to be completed by June 2023.

The new facility would be equipped with many amenities and would be approximately 5.5 times larger than the old structure.

All types of automation that meet international requirements will be available in the new terminal building.

He told the media after reviewing the development of the multi-crore project that so far more than 70% of terminal construction work had been completed with construction work going on day and night.

Jindal said he had instructed authorities to provide additional manpower to expedite the construction process.

The Executive Director expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the construction work and said that the quality was monitored by technicians and specialists.

Despite challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and heavy rainfall a few months ago, he noted that the development of the project has been quite excellent.

More than ten additional parking spaces had already been built for larger aircraft and commissioning was underway.

During peak hours, the new terminal building will be able to handle 2,900 passengers, including 2,300 foreign travelers.

There will be 48 check-in counters, 40 immigration counters, 15 X-ray machines, five escalators, 28 elevators, five baggage carousels and ten aerobridges in the new structure.

Jindal acknowledged that the Covid-19 outbreak was slowing the project's progress, but the proposal included compensation for cost escalation due to schedule delays.

He estimated that the entire project would cost around Rs 1,000 crore to build, with a completion date of June 2023.

In the next ten years, the futuristic structure will be able to accommodate passenger traffic.

He responded to a question by saying that after the new facility is ready, the AAI plans to use the current passenger terminal building for freight growth and as a training center.