Vizag airport terminal nears completion

Visakhapatnam: The work on the terminal at the airport, even though a bit delayed, is in the final stages and it is anticipated that it will be ready by the end of the year, according to officials.

Mr H.S. Suresh, General Manager (Projects), Airports Authority of India, said that 80 per cent of the work on the project had been finished.

“The finishing works are going on at a brisk pace. Elevators and escalators have already been installed and the work on the building will be completed by the end of October. Shifting of the airline offices to the new building may take a month’s time. In all probability, the terminal will be ready by the end of the year,” he said.

Admitting that the project should have been completed by June, he said the delay in receiving conveyor belts from Portugal was the cause for it. “The terminal will have aerobridges from Indonesia, conveyor belts from Portugal and AC chiller plant from Malaysia,” he said.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security would conduct a check and give the go-ahead for the terminal to become operational and then the customs and immigration facilities would be put in place. This would pave the way for operation of international flights from here, he said.

Mr C. Pattabhi, Airport Controller, said the inauguration of the new terminal would give a big boost to air connectivity here. “We are expecting the cargo traffic to go up substantially,” he said.