Airport awaits completion of departure block

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI, JUNE 3. The Chennai airport, which handled a staggering 4.1 million passengers at its domestic and international terminals last year, awaits the completion of a Rs.80-crore exclusive departure block at the Anna International Terminal (AIT) to ease the congestion building up with each additional flight.

With AIT alone handling 1.9 million passengers and the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal (KDT) recording 2.2 million, the domestic traffic has registered a 20 per cent increase and the international traffic shows a five per cent growth.

Pointing out that opening up of non-stop flights by new foreign carriers, introduction of feeder routes by national and private carriers, besides giving the necessary thrust to the ``hub and spoke'' concept, the Chennai Airport Director, Mr.Sudhir Kumar, told The Hindu that among the five international airports in the country, Chennai reached the third spot in terms of being passenger-friendly airport. The Mumbai and New Delhi airports retained the first and second positions.

With the scheduled completion of the new departure block measuring 800 sq.mt area by December 2002, Mr.Kumar said the AIT would have 34 airline check-in counters and more Customs and Immigration counters.

As a short-term measure to tide over the space constraints at the AIT, work on the new extension canopy of the arrival hall would be completed in three months. Work is also on to increase the number of conveyor belts at the arrival hall and instal an exclusive one for the executive and first class passengers.

A total of 14 foreign carriers including both the national carriers operate out of AIT. Work was apace to add three more aerobridges to take the total to five.

The Airport Director said the IAD-AAI recently added an exclusive lounge at the AIT and a vegetarian food court. It planned to put to optimal use the atrium area on the second floor to house a beer pub and an amusement centre for children, besides a mini- restaurant to cater mainly to the passengers and visitors.

Efforts were on to expand the paid car parking area at the AIT, Mr.Kumar said, urging the user agencies and individuals to make best use of both the long and short duration stay pre-paid car parking facility.

Even as they welcome the ad hoc expansion of facilities, the travel-trade and the user agencies point out that these are inadequate sops in an era when modern airports are being built all over Asia, from the scratch.

Chennai hopes to be a major metro in an era of economic growth, but lacks international infrastructure including an airport of world standard. The proposal to have a new joint venture airport with TIDCO's participation, is once again left to the new State Government to pursue.

Aviation experts also point out that even under the restrictive aviation policy followed by the country at present, a limited increase in air traffic to Chennai would boost the cargo carrying capacity out of the city, giving a fillip to the economic activity in the State and the region as a whole.

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