Indore, Dec 22 (PTI) Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Sunday said that a new terminal building will be constructed in three years to increase the passenger capacity and facilities at the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore.
Naidu inaugurated the new tower-cum-technical block of air traffic control and garbage disposal plant at the city airport.
While addressing a function, Naidu said the civil aviation ministry is working on a plan for a new terminal building at the airport, which will be constructed before the end of 2028.
“At present, 40 lakh people can travel through the Indore airport every year, but due to increased civil aviation activities, it is insufficient. Hence, I assure the people of Indore that the airport will have a capacity to cater to 55 lakh passengers in four months,” he said.
The minister said changes will be made to the existing airport building to increase passenger capacity.
The Ministry is also considering increasing the length of the runway, he said.
“The runway at the airport is currently 2,800 metres long. We want to increase it to 3,400 metres so that even a big aircraft with Code-E can land here. We have sent a letter to the state government and requested that it give us land adjacent to the airport as soon as possible,” he said.
Naidu said around 90 aircraft operate at Indore airport daily. The city has air connectivity to 21 cities in the country and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
He said that in keeping with people’s demands, talks will be held with aviation companies to connect Indore with Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai.
At the function, local Lok Sabha MP Shankar Lalwani demanded the Indore airport be given the status of an international airport. He highlighted that despite operating international flights for five years, the facility has not been given the status of an international airport. PTI HWP ADU ARU
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