Fly out of Changi, in apnu Amdavad

Ahmedabad: Billed as India’s own Changi, the new Ahmedabad international airport has been modelled on the airport in Singapore, a major aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
The new international airport terminal is all set to get a major facelift by early next year. Once ready, the Rs 290-crore project will give a new look to the new international terminal building complete with city side approach road, car parking and apron.
According to the proposed AAI plans for expansion of Ahmedabad airport, there will be shopping malls, multiplexes, a high-end luxury hotel, transit hotels and motels, food courts and recreational and entertainment centres on either side of the approach road leading to the airport.
At the refurbished terminals, passengers will not have to take those packed bus-rides to the aircraft. Four aerobridges at the domestic terminal and six at the new international terminal will enable passengers to walk into the aircraft from the departure lounge.
Also, the existing international terminal will exclusively handle cargo. Once the swanky, new international airport gets ready, the domestic and international terminals will together have enough room to park 33 aircraft. At present, they can handle only 13.
The international passenger traffic at the airport is around 5.5 to 6 lakh passengers annually. According to officials, the peak hour passenger is 450, while passenger-handling capacity of the existing building is only 400.
At present, Ahmedabad is available as a point of call to 16 foreign countries which include Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Kuwait, Qatar, Russia, UAE (Dubai, Sharjah).
According to the forecast, the peak hour passenger traffic in 2012-13 will be 500 arrivals and 500 departures.
28/09/06 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2009, New Jun 2009