By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS
Hyderabad : A new international airport is almost ready here and will be formally inaugurated by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi March 14, two days before it becomes commercially operational.
The government had earlier invited Sonia Gandhi to inaugurate the airport March 16 but it announced late Thursday that the formal inauguration would be held two days earlier.
The Rs.24.78 billion ($601 million) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is coming up at Shamshabad, about 25 km from here on the Hyderabad-Bangalore national highway.
The flight trials are scheduled next week. Sources in GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) said: “Almost 96 percent of the work is complete and the remaining will be over before the end of February.”
The GHIAL authorities are working round-the-clock to give finishing touches to the upcoming facility.
The officials also made it clear that the existing airport at Begumpet in the heart of the city will be shut down once the new airport becomes operational.
The installation of equipments in the 70-metre-tall Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower is complete and it is set to be handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is inspecting the facility to ensure they are compatible with international norms.
After month-long trials, the commercial operations will be shifted to the new airport.
Munich Airport has been entrusted with the responsibility of shifting the entire operations from the existing airport to the new airport.
“From 1 a.m. March 16, all flights will be diverted to Shamshabad airport,” an official source said.
The new airport incorporates the best of facilities in Oslo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore airports and promises to take Indian airports to a new level.
GHIAL is a joint venture of GMR Group (63 percent), Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (11 percent), Airports Authority of India (13 percent) and the Andhra Pradesh government (13 percent).
In its initial phase, the airport will be capable of handling 12 million passengers and more than 100,000 tonnes of cargo per annum. The full capacity of the new airport is over 40 million passengers and one million tonnes of cargo in a year.
The 4,260-metre-long runway – India’s longest for civil aviation – is A380 aircraft compatible and complete as so is the equally long parallel taxiway that can also be used for emergency take-offs.
The seven-storey passenger terminal building built by the China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) is spread over 100,000 square metres. The 42 parking bays, cargo building, apron and fuel farm are also ready.
The airport will have 60 check-in-counters with Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE) and 16 self check-in kiosks. The 2,500-sqm complex will also have 12 contact boarding bridges, 45 immigration counters and extensive retail and shopping outlets.
The other special features include fuel supply system on open access basis, an airport village and a business hotel of 308 rooms near the passenger terminal building.