PM likely to commission new terminal building at Tiruchi airport

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate swanky new integrated terminal building (NITB) at Tiruchi International Airport, with modern facilities & temple-tower like structure, GRIHA four star-rated design & rainwater harvesting.

A swanky new terminal would welcome passengers at Tiruchi International Airport this coming year and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the facility, tentatively on January 2.

Contemporary in design with geometrical roof and façade, the new integrated terminal building (NITB) fuses elements from local heritage and culture, especially the temple architecture of the region, too. A huge temple-tower like structure, resembling the Rajagopuram of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, serves as the main entrance at the ground level of the terminal building.

“The NITB will have a floor area of 75,000 square metres in two levels, with the arrival lounge situated on the ground floor and the departure on the next level. It can handle about 4.5 million passengers annually, three times the capacity of the existing terminal at the airport. It will be able to handle a peak hour passenger traffic of 3,480 (2,400 international and 1,080 domestic),” an airport official said.

In terms of area, the NITB will be six times larger than the existing terminal. A new elevated access road would connect the departure lounge of the airport with the Tiruchi - Pudukottai National Highway.

The NITB will have 60 check-in counters, of which 34 would be earmarked for international passengers and 26 for domestic. The terminal will have modern 60 arrival immigration counters, 19 X ray- Baggage Inspection System machines and five baggage carousels to elevate passenger experience.

Taking into account the local climatic conditions, the GRIHA four star-rated design, drawn up by a French consultant, Egis, maximises the use of natural light within the building and incorporates rainwater harvesting, water and sewage treatment plants and other environment friendly features. The project has been executed at a cost exceeding ₹950 crore.

The commissioning of the new terminal is expected to strengthen air connectivity to Tiruchi, which is the second largest airport in Tamil Nadu, after Chennai, in terms of international passenger traffic. The number of international flights operated from Tiruchi airport is more than domestic services. Tiruchi is at present connected with 10 overseas destinations such as Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat and Ho Chi Minh City.