Surat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his visit to his home state of Gujarat tomorrow, will inaugurate the new Integrated Terminal Building of Surat International Airport in the city.

Surat, known as the financial capital of Gujarat and a hub for the diamond and textile business in India, attracts a large number of air travelers. Considering the significant rise in passenger traffic, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has worked towards the development of the airport with a project cost of Rs 353 Crores.

The development project included the extension of the old terminal building from 8474 sqm to 25520 sqm. Additionally, the expansion of the apron from five parking bays to 18 parking bays and the construction of a parallel taxi track (2905 m X 30 m) have also been completed.

The Terminal building is equipped to handle 1200 Domestic passengers and 600 International passengers during peak hours and has provision for further increasing the peak hour capacity to 3000 passengers with annual handling capacity increasing to 55 lakh passengers. The terminal building, as it is the gateway to Surat City, has been designed with its local culture and heritage ensuring that the essence should reflect both in interior and exterior, creating a sense of place for the visitors.

The façade of the upgraded terminal building aims to enrich the passenger experience with the rich and traditional woodwork of the old houses of the ‘Rander’ region of Surat City. The GRIHA IV compliant New Terminal Building of the airport is equipped with various sustainability features like Double Insulated Roofing System, Canopies for energy saving, Low Heat Gain Double Glazing Unit, Rain Water Harvesting, water treatment plant, Sewage treatment plant and use of recycled water for landscaping and solar power plant among others.

Equipped with all modern passenger amenities, the terminal building has 20 check-in counters, five aerobridges, an In-Line baggage handling system, and five conveyor belts for arriving passengers. The new terminal building also includes a parking area with a capacity for 475 cars. DeshGujarat

Highlights

The new terminal building of Surat airport built at a cost of Rs. 353 crore.

– Surat airport is presently connected to 14 domestic cities and one international location(Sharjah) by air.

– Surat airport witnesses weekly over 252 passenger flights.

– A new terminal building’s outlook is inspired by old wooden houses of the Rander area of Surat.

-Terminal’s inner portions display Rogan art, Jari art, Brocade art, wooden carving, and Patang festival through Mozaic.

– An additional portion of the terminal has been made using glass, steel, metal, fly ash, bricks, etc materials.

– The airport has 29 check-in counters, 5 aerobridges, 13 immigration counters, and parking for 500 cars.

– After its expansion, the airport will be capable of serving 1800 passengers per hour and 35 lakh passengers annually.

– The present terminal is 8,474 square meters. With 17,046 square meters of expansion on both the left and right sides of the existing terminal, the total area of the terminal building will increase to 25,520 square meters.