The expansion of space in the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport terminal will not mean an increase in its capacity to handle more passengers.
“Through the renovation, the terminal will not have much of capacity enhancement. The expanded terminal will be used to make the departure lobby a bit more luxurious and to ease the departure crowding a bit. More space will help organise the crowd. For the global investor’s summit, the airport needs to be ready,” Rajesh Kumar, public relations officer (PRO) of Airport Authority of India (AAI), Northeast Region office at Borjhar said. According to the authority, the renovation works are being done to make the airport ready to welcome the global investors who will be participating in the “Advantage Assam” event.
The ongoing terminal construction work in the airport is supposed to be completed by January 29 just a few days ahead of the summit. The terminal consists of the departure lobby, waiting lounge, check-in counters and boarding lobby.
The ongoing expansion work which began in December last year has however caused a chaotic situation both outside and within the terminal, some passengers alleged.
The LGBI airport is one of the seven airports fully owned by the AAI and is one of the top eight revenue earning airports out of the 125 airports managed by the authority.
Last Wednesday, new VIP reserved lounges were opened at the airport. The PRO informed that the extended terminal would be centrally air-conditioned with luxurious lounges and four-star quality features.
He added that the parking space would be shifted to the left of the terminal and the current facility will be converted into the drop-off bay. “While there is one bay available at the airport, there will be three drop-off bays at the current parking area.”
The airport is spread over 1,275 acres of land and the current terminal occupying around 2,03,050 sq ft is capable of holding 1,200 domestic passengers and 100 international passengers at any given moment.
The airport takes a load of about 850 domestic and 40-50 international passengers at any given moment on an average daily which increases to 1,250 domestic and 60-70 international passengers during the peak-hours.
