A ₹1.5-crore remote boarding gate was recently opened at the international terminal of the Thiruvananthapuram airport for hassle-free boarding and alighting from the aircraft in the early hours of the day.
The facility set up by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is in addition to the existing three aerobridges and remote boarding gate in the terminal. Passengers coming through the ramp to the gate will be taken in the coaches of operating airlines to the aircraft parked in parking bays.
The international airport has 11 parking bays at the domestic terminal side and another nine bays at the international terminal on the city side.
Out of the nine parking bays in the international terminal, only three bays have aerobridges.
Aircraft parked in other six bays on the international terminal side can be accessed through coaches and boarding gate.
Airport Director George G. Tharakan said the second remote boarding gate would come in handy to the airlines when three flights come around the same time in the early hours of the day from West Asia.
The new remote parking gate beneath the third aerobridge will avoid crowding of passengers, he said.
The facility was thrown open recently by the First Chief Engineer, AAI, C. V. Nair.