Can’t commit the date of starting work on terminal expansion

Times of India: Surat: Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has made it clear that they are unable to commit as to when the tender work for expansion of terminal building at Surat airport will be issued.

Replying to a query filed under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, the AAI stated that the future date of terminal building expansion cannot be committed. However, the AAI admitted that the revised scope of work has been issued and preliminary estimate is being prepared.

With the project for expansion of existing terminal building in limbo for the past one year, Surat airport will soon burst to its seams with the increase in flight movements in the next two months.

At present, the airport handles about 36 flight movements per day to various destinations operated by Spice Jet, Air Asia and Air India. The flight movement will be between 40-45 once Indigo would commence services in the near future. About 2,300 passengers travel daily to and from Surat airport.

The capacity to handle the landing, take offs and passengers movements at the airport is posing a big challenge to the airport authorities and that it is further going to deteriorate with Indigo launching five flight services starting from August 16.

According to details sought under RTI Act, the estimate of civil and electrical work was sent in July-2017. The revised scope of work and drawings of terminal building was sent to the AAI headquarters in February-2018. Again, the AAI headquarters sent the revised estimate for terminal building expansion in March-2018.

RTI Activist Rajesh Modi said, “The future of terminal building expansion cannot be committed by the AAI. At present, the AAI is preparing the preliminary estimate. Once the estimate is approved, the tenders will be floated. However, it will take another two years for the work to start.”

With the increase in air connectivity and the passenger traffic, the terminal building of Surat airport is bursting at its seams. The terminal remains so much congested that the passengers do not have enough chairs to sit in the waiting area.

As the check-ins are done an hour ahead of the scheduled departure, the passengers have to literally stand as the limited available seats are already occupied. The situation is worse when passengers of two separate flights are stacked together in the waiting area.

As per rough estimate, the present capacity to handle passengers at the terminal building is 2 lakh per annum. Ironically, there are around 8 lakh passengers travelling to and from the Surat airport per annum in 21 flights operated by Spice Jet and Air India, private operator Ventura Airconnect and Non-Schedule Operator Permit (NSOP).