Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Sunday laid the foundation stone of an International Terminal Building at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here. The terminal, to be built over an area of 27,231 square metre at Rs 195.92 crore, will have the capacity to handle 1,000 passengers at any point of time _ 500 on arrival and 500 from departure.
When completed, the terminal will give Ahmedabad International Airport the distinction of being the first airport where both the domestic and international terminals co-exist. In other cities, domestic and international terminals are separated by a distance.
“Ahmedabad is an important city... It is close to two important metros_Delhi and Mumbai. The new terminal will increase its importance for air traffic for both the cities,’’ Patel said, adding that the city needed another international airport to manage the traffic in the coming 100 years.
Stressing on the the growing importance of civil aviation in the coming days, the minister said: “As the last decade saw IT hog the limelight, the coming decade will be dedicated to civil aviation. Airports are going to create jobs anywhere between 22 lakh and 30 lakh in the coming decade. Also, now instead of railways, airports will be counted as a sign of progress.’’
"Civil aviation will play an important in development of Gujarat," Patel said, adding that civil aviation is becoming a catalyst in economic development of the country. Asserting that the aviation industry had a major role to play in development of Gujarat, the minister said, "Development will happen all places where airports are built. Earlier, it was road and rail links that brought economic development. Now air connectivity is the key to prosperity." "Gujarat has an important position in the country," the NCP leader said sharing the dias with BJP leader and Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leaders from the State including Central Textile Minister Shankersinh Vaghela.
Patel assured Modi that new international terminal will be completed in a time-bound manner. "New direct flights to several parts of the world including London, United States, South-East Asia, Middle-East will be introduced from here in future," he said.
New infrastructure in the form of airports will bring about rapid progess in both industrial and agricultural sectors of Gujarat, Patel said adding that airports will also benefit the sizeable Non-resident Gujarati population residing in different corners of the globe. The minister reiterated that the Surat airport will be completed in time and will be inaugurated on Gujarat Foundation Day on May 1 this year. He also told Modi that if wastelands near the airport were given to the ministry Then the Surat airport could have two runways and could be turned into a bigger airport than that in Ahmedabad.Patel also said that the airports in Rajkot and Vadodara will also be modernised in future. “We receive complaints that airports are increasingly crowded like bus and train stations. We actually want this to happen,” he said. “(Passenger) volumes on planes will increase only when more and more common people travel on planes,” he said.
Patel also said that his ministry was also concentrating on increasing cargo traffic in aviation. Speaking at the function, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said the new international terminal at ahmedabad will reduce the burden of Mumbai airport by about 40 per cent. He also suggested that special permits could be issued to passengers travelling by international flights to visit Ahmedabad. “When international flights come to the airport for refuelling, passengers have to spend four to five hours inside the airport,” Modi said. “Special visiting permits as those existing in other countries could be given to these passengers allowing them to visit landmarks in Ahmedabad like the Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi or the Sardar Patel Memorial,” he said. “With the kind of economical activity happening in Surat, nobody can imagine that the city does not have a functional airport,” Modi said. He also said that 33 Special Economic Zones were coming up in the state, some of which could have individual airports.
Asking the minister to expedite the process of granting permission for private airports in SEZs in the State, he demanded that the Civil Aviation Ministry begin air service between Bhuj and Arab countries. Modi also announced “zero taxation” facility for international flights landing in the city airport.The new terminal building will have several passenger-friendly facilities like central AC, escalators, passenger lifts, etc. Besides, an international apron with the capacity to park six wide-bodied aircraft will be built at a cost of Rs 14.25 crore. And the domestic apron will be expanded.