Lucknow to get new international airport terminal by 2023

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow airport is all set to open its wings to accommodate more flyers with the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approving construction of an integrated international terminal.
Conceptualised on the lines of Mughal architecture, the new terminal is projected to be completed by 2023 at an estimated cost of Rs 1,230 crore. The terminal will span over an area of 88,000 sq mt and will have the capacity to handle more than 4,000 passengers in peak hours. Annually, the new terminal building will be able to cater to at least 25 lakh international and more than 1 crore domestic passengers. According to a formal artistic impression of the proposed terminal tweeted by Union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha, the double-storey structure will have two level driveway facilities for passengers to reach the arrival/departure gates.





Longer runway for Dreamliner, others

The terminal will also have multiple check-in kiosks and baggage drop points. Union civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu said the new building would cater to the requirements of passenger growth up to the year 2030-31.

“It will prove to be a major force multiplier for UP’s growth. UP is carving its own success story in civil aviation,” Prabhu said in a statement.

The Lucknow airport receives as many as 140 flights per day—132 domestic and eight international. The number of flights is expected to go up to 200 per day after the airport is remodelled, said officials from Airports Authority of India.

The length of the runway is proposed to be increased from the existing 2.2km to 3.1km. The increased length has been planned to allow landing of bigger aircraft like Dreamliner and other jumbo jets, said AAI spokesperson in Lucknow Sanjay Narain.

The apron area too is proposed to be increased to allow parking of at least 25 aircraft instead of the existing 19.

The plan gains importance in the wake of heavy congestion at the Lucknow airport during peak hours.

Aviation experts said that the low capacity of the airport poses a big limitation for more number of airlines to operate.