Chennai Airport to be major aviation hub with new terminal inaugurated by PM

Dhaka: The new integrated terminal of Chennai Airport has been inaugurated by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8.

The terminal with state-of-the-art facilities is expected to significantly enhance passenger experience at the airport and reduce commuter rush. This terminal will boost passenger handling capacity of the airport and will make it a major air travel hub in South India, as per reports.

Ahead of the inauguration, India’s Prime Minister said the new integrated terminal building will enhance connectivity and boost the economy.

The new terminal is part of Chennai Airport Modernisation Phase II and has been developed at the cost of Rs 1,260 crore, he mentioned.

Commenting on the new terminal, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, "The capacity of Chennai airport will increase by 50 per cent now. This is a big step towards making the state a gateway not only to South India but to the whole of India."

Airports Authority of India Chairman Sanjeev Kumar called it, "a momentous occasion for AAI and Chennai City to have this new terminal."

"This terminal would exclusively serve international traffic. It has got 54 immigration counters, 80 check-in counters, which will help in the growth of Chennai and Tamil Nadu," the AAI Chairman said.

PM Modi also visited the exhibition at the Chennai Airport's new terminal.

Now, all the international operations will be moved to the new building. According to officials, the existing international terminal will be demolished later.

The new terminal is 2,200,000 square meters in size and can accommodate nearly 35 million commuters annually.

In order to fasten passenger handling at the airport, the terminal's arrival and departure points have 54 immigration counters each.

Also, the terminal has 11 automatic tray retrieval systems (ATRS) for carry-on baggage and 33 remote boarding gates. Besides, the self-baggage-drop facilities by scanning the boarding pass further easer the process.

The Skylight feature of the terminal harvests natural light to illuminate the space inside the building and reduces energy consumption.

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