AAI to invest Rs 1,530 cr in development work of 3 airports

Mumbai: National airports operator AAI plans to invest Rs 1,530 crore in the development work of the existing airports in Lucknow and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and Deoghar in Jharkhand to cater to the growing air traffic demand.

Besides, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will also develop a greenfield airport at Hirasar in the Rajkot district of Gujarat on build, operate and maintain basis.

According to a statement today, the AAI plans to construct new integrated passenger terminal building at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs 1,230 crore, which has seen significant traffic growth in the last five years.

Once completed, the new terminal building will have a capacity of 6.35 million passengers per annum and will be able to handle 4,000 passengers during the peak hour, the AAI said.

The AAI will also develop a new civil enclave at Allahabad ahead of the 'Ardh Kumbh Mela,' to be held in January 2019, at an estimated cost of 125.76 crore.

The new terminal building will be made operational before January 2019, it said.

AAI said it also plans to develop the present Deoghar airport for carrying out operations of Airbus 320 and four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft C-130 types at an investment of Rs 401.34 crore at a fixed-cost and at Rs 427.43 crore on completion cost basis.

The Deoghar airport development work will be carried out in line with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the AAI, Jharkhand government and DRDO in March this year, it said.

As per the MOU, there will be financial input to the tune of Rs 50 crore by the Jharkhand government, Rs 200 crore by the DRDO and the balance cost will be borne by the AAI.

For the greenfield airport at Hirasar in Rajkot, Gujarat government has provided the land free of cost.

The construction of the greenfield airport is aimed at matching with the traffic potential of Saurashtra region, amid the high economic growth, the AAI said.