AAI’s Dehradun Airport gets a swanky new terminal building

New Delhi: Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated a new terminal building of Airport Authority of India's (AAI) Dehradun Airport on Friday. Minister of State for Civil Aviation General VK Singh (Retd.), Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Naresh Bansal and MLA Trivendra Singh Rawat. Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank,' also joined the ceremony through a video link.

"The idea behind the expansion is to meet the expected future passenger growth", said AAI in an official statement.

With the project cost of Rs 325 crores, the first phase of development work includes the construction of a domestic terminal Building along with the Utility Block, Car Park, Sewage Treatment Plant, Rainwater Harvesting Structures and other ancillary structures. The newly inaugurated building, spread in an area of 28,729 Sqm, will be able to handle 1,200 passengers during peak hours, thereby expanding the capacity of the airport by eight-fold. The building has a concourse, check-in area, security hold and arrival lounge at the ground floor, security hold at first floor and other services and various offices on the mezzanine floor.

The newly inaugurated building, spread in an area of 28,729 Sqm, will be able to handle 1,200 passengers during peak hours-AAI

On the occasion, addressing people during the inauguration ceremony Minister said, "This airport will open doors of progress for Uttarakhand." He also announced 18 new Heli routes to connect the hilly areas of the state.

Minister also announced three routes of Dehradun-Pithoragarh-Dehradun, Pithoragarh-Hindon-Pithoragarh and Pantnagar-Pithoragarh-Pantnagar sector.

Equipped with 36 check-in counters and four aerobridges, the new terminal has all the modern facilities like self-check-in kiosks and an inline baggage screening facility. Ample retail space spread in an area of 6,465 Sqm is also part of the Terminal to accelerate revenue generation and employment opportunities for local youths.

The design height of the building is optimally done to reduce the cost of construction and operation. The building has been designed to provide passengers and visitors with a sense of place highlighting the culture and heritage of Uttarakhand. Arched Façade is inspired by the work featured at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun and the feature columns are inspired by the form of Brahmakamal, the state flower of Uttarakhand.

The new building also has eco-friendly sustainable features like the double-curved roof to aid in rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment plant, solar power system, energy-efficient fixtures and provision of maximum natural light through skylights.

On this occasion, dignitaries also flagged off the helicopter service on Dehradun-Haldwani-Pantnagar-Pithoragarh-Pantnagar-Haldwani-Dehradun-Sector and Chinyalisaur-Sahastradhara-Chinyalisaur Sector.  The helicopter service will be provided by Pawan Hans and Heritage Aviation respectively. The inauguration of the Heli routes in the Uttarakhand Region is in line with the objective of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to enhance the aerial connectivity of hilly areas in the country.  13 more heliports have been identified in Uttarakhand to provide seamless connectivity within the state.

The second phase of the development work will include shifting of operations from the existing terminal building to the new one and construction of the balance portion of the terminal building (14,047 Sqm) along with the integration of all the services & completion of balance works at a cost of Rs. 132 Crores.  Then peak hour capacity will increase from 1,200 passengers to 1,800 passengers.

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