Construction of Chennai's new international terminal begins

Chennai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) kicked off construction of the new 65,000 sq m international terminal building as part of the ongoing airport expansion on Tuesday.
The transfer of 21 acres of defence land adjacent to the existing international departure terminal was done on February 3. At present, work has begun on 1.74 acres of land to construct the building and a flyover that will run in front of the passenger terminals. According to the agreement, the AAI should relocate the defence installations that had existed on the land before it can access the remaining 19 acres.
"We had started the relocation process on January 13 in another area owned by the defence ministry," said airport director K Natarajan. "The AAI is moving ahead at a rapid pace because the project has to be completed within the deadline," he added.
"The new terminal will have a state-of-the-art design and will use glass extensively. This will ensure natural lighting in the day and minimal lighting at night. It is going to be a green building with emphasis on saving energy," said a senior AAI official. Passengers will be able to lounge in style. Extensive use of glass will give them a good view of the city as well as the operational areas where aircraft are parked. The building is being designed with minimum partition "so that it will have a wide expanse of space to accommodate passenger amenities, shops and other facilities," an official said.
12/02/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Feb 2009