AHMEDABAD: If all goes as planned, the operations of two domestic airlines at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport in Ahmedabad may soon be shifted to the international terminal — Terminal 2 — instead of Terminal 1 which is the domestic terminal. Top level discussions are going on to implement this and ease passenger rush at the city airport.
A source privy to the development confirmed that operations of flights operated by GoAir and SpiceJet may be shifted to the international terminal, effective January 2022. Domestic flights operated by Air India already operate from Terminal 2 at present.
The city airport is undertaking a major runway re-carpeting from January 3, 2022 to May 31, 2022, for which the authorities have recently received approval from the aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“Discussions are underway to shift operations of two airlines to the international terminal from the domestic terminal from January. The feasibility is still being evaluated and once a proper operating procedure is in place, we will finalise whether and how to go about it,” said a source at the airport.
An estimated 20,000 passengers transit through the SVPI airport on a daily basis according to estimates by the city airport authorities. This is expected to grow in the days to come in the wake of the festive season.
When the runway re-carpeting will be undertaken at SVPI airport, for 149 days, except Sundays and public holidays, the runway will remain shut for nine hours, from 9am to 6pm. This means flight departures and arrivals will be squeezed either before 9am or after 6pm, causing a lot of passenger rush.
At present, some 45 flights operate during the morning hours and 45 during the night whereas some 100 flight movements are spread out during the day, according to airport authorities. This means most of these 100 flights will either be moved to morning or evening whereas the remaining will be cancelled too.
