Dec 21, 2006, 18:43 GMT
New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) The central government Thursday approved a plan to construct a new international terminal building at the Ahmedabad airport along with some development works in the city at an estimated cost of Rs.2.9 billion ($65 million).
To be constructed in two phases, the project is expected to be completed in 18 months, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters here after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
While Phase I is expected to cost Rs.1.96 billion, the second phase to be taken up in 2011-12 will entail an expenditure of Rs.920 million, the finance minister said.
The project cost includes a foreign exchange component of Rs.273.5 million in Phase I at 2005-06 prices, which would work out to Rs.3.13 billion after considering inflation, an official press note said.
The international passengers traffic at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport in Gujarat's main city during 2004-05 was 373,000 passengers. The peak-hour demand for passenger handling is 450, whereas the present building's capacity serves only 400 passengers.
The international traffic at the airport is expected to grow at a rate of 15 percent up to 2006-07, and a further 10 percent up to 2011-12 and 7 percent beyond 2011-12.
By 2016-17, the international traffic at the airport is expected to reach 1.1 million.
The new terminal building is being planned to handle 1,000 passengers (500 arrivals and 500 departures) during peak hours. In Phase II, the capacity will be enhanced to 1,600 passengers - 800 arrivals and 800 departures.
After the completion of the proposed international terminal building, the international operations will be shifted to it while the existing building would cater to international cargo operations, the official statement said.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had appointed Global Technical Advisors (GTA) and Indian Financial Advisor (IFA) to give suggestions regarding the overall development of the Ahmedabad international airport.
The project will be funded from AAI's internal resources of Rs.14 billion.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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