Passenger amenities at the Calicut international airport will get a facelift with the opening of the new international arrival block, passenger boarding bridges, and advance visual docking guidance system on Friday.
Meeting the expectations of passengers, the new terminal will replace the cramped and outdated facilities. The ₹120-crore project was envisaged on the basis of the norms and standards of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) for determining the capacity of airport terminals, airport director K. Srinivasa Rao said.
Governor P. Sathasivam will inaugurate the complex, while Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, who will be the chief guest, will address the function through videoconferencing.
The new complex, according to Mr. Rao, has been constructed in the available area between the existing international terminal building and the fire station, and it has a total space of 17,000 sq m. The first floor houses the immigration area and the ground floor, the arrival baggage claim area and customs facilities.
The capacity of the terminal has been augmented from 916 to 1,527 passengers during peak hours. The airport has recorded an average growth rate of 14.70% in international passenger traffic since 2009-10, the official said.
Bonny Bastian, assistant general manager (civil engineering), Calicut airport, said the existing international arrival area had been modified into the departure terminal. The new facilities include a transit lounge of international standards, 38 arrival immigration counters, three hand baggage checking facility, five 60-metre conveyor belts, 20 arrival customs checking counters, and a green channel.
The building, designed in accordance with the green building concept, has adopted dual plumbing system of toilet flushing and recycled water from the sewage treatment plant. Besides, the complex is connected to a 10 lakh capacity rainwater harvesting tank.
The centrally air-conditioned complex has two escalators and three lifts for passenger facilitation. Work on an 800 kWP (kilowattpeak) roof-mounted grid-connected solar generation is in progress at the new block. On completion of the entire solar roofing system, the airport will have 1,550 kWP solar generation capable to meet energy requirements during daytime.
The airport will have new two passenger boarding bridges of Adelte Airport Techno, Spain, manufactured under the Make in India scheme. Three more aerobridges will be installed soon. The aerobridges constructed at a cost of ₹4.80 crore have been installed with an advanced visual docking guidance system providing information needed for the pilot to park the aircraft rapidly and safely.