New terminal at Chennai Airport to open in June: AAI

CHENNAI: The new terminal
buildings at the Chennai
airport would be commissioned
by June this year,
Airports Authority of India
(AAI) Chairman V P Agarwal
announced here on
Wednesday evening.
He told newspersons here
the testing of electro-magnetic
equipments were on
and the new domestic terminal
premises was also being
cleaned. Space has been
allocated for all stakeholders’
including customs, immigration
and airline companies
and handed over keys
to them, he added.
Airline companies would
take about a month to move
into the new premises, he
said, adding the soft opening
of the new domestic
terminal might take place
by the third week of May
with arrival and departure
of two airlines from the new
facility. Asked about the
international terminal, he
said, the works would be
completed by May-end.
He said both the terminals
would be opened simultaneously
some time in June but
the commissioning date has
not yet been fi xed. ‘We expect
it to happen within two
months,” he indicated.
Agarwal added that the
AAI has submitted its recommendation
toAirports
Economic Regulatory Authority
(AERA) for charging
user development fees
at Chennai airport. Earlier,
Mr Agarwal said, the AAI
is keen on the Greenfi eld
airport at Sriperumbudur
and the state government
has also envisaged interest
in promoting it. “We had
discussions with the Tamil
Nadu chief secretary Debendranath
Sarrangi on Tuesday
and we expect the land
acquisition process to start
soon,” he added.
Noting that need for
Greenfi eld airport is immense,
as the present airport
at Meenambakkam would
be constrained by 2017-18,
Mr Agarwal said that all
sanction process for the new
airport is taking place and
modalities are being worked
out to take project forward.
He added that the state government
should address the
connectivity issues. According
to him the total
project cost envisaged for
the new airport that would
initially have limited construction
is Rs 7000 crore, of
which the land alone would
be bought for Rs 3000 crore.
“We would do the initial
works and let both the airport
- Chennai and Sriperumbudur
to stabilize. Then,
we would bring in private
partner,” he added.