Port Blair Airport: Operations Begin At Rs 700-Crore New Terminal Building

Operations at the Port Blair airport's new terminal building began this morning (21 August) with the arrival of an IndiGo flight from Chennai.

The flight, 6E-6213, landed at Veer Savarkar International Airport at 7.10 am, carrying 83 passengers.

Following shortly after, an Air India flight, AI-549, arrived at 7.20 am with 84 passengers from Chennai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the new integrated terminal building of the airport in the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 18 July.

The new terminal building is a large-span (120 metre) structural steel framed building provided with aluminum sheet roofing and cable net glazing all around.

The new terminal, designed in the shape of a shell to represent the natural surroundings of the islands, was constructed at a cost of Rs 707.73 crore.

With a total built-up area of 40,837 sq metre, the terminal boasts 100 per cent natural lighting. It has the capacity to accommodate 1,200 passengers during peak hours and approximately 40 lakh passengers annually.

The new passenger terminal building will have three floors comprising of lower ground, upper ground and first floor. The lower ground floor will be used as remote arrival, bus lounge and service area, the upper ground floor as access to the terminal building for the departure and arrival of the passengers and the first floor as a security hold area (SHA).

The building has three floors and includes 28 check-in counters, 12 immigration counters, three passenger boarding bridges, and four conveyor belts. Additionally, the airport's new apron can accommodate up to 10 aircraft.