CHENNAI: The international arrival terminal which lay unused for almost eight years may come in the way of AAI’s latest attempt to privatise operation of Chennai airport in addition to issues like traffic management in front of the terminals, chaos at entry and exits, congestion at check-in, security check and boarding areas and baggage delays.
These issues had been causing inconvenience in the pre-Covid-19 days.
The terminal could not be opened because a baggage ramp to the basement of the building is too steep. An AAI official said “The terminal is now being used for testing passengers for Covid-19. But it has been converted into a departure terminal and airlines were gearing up to shift when the pandemic struck."
The Union government has set a deadline of 2024 for handing over operation of the airport under PPP.
By the time paperwork is finalised for inviting bids, the airport will have a new terminal, two multi-level car parking complexes, better taxiways for planes and a blueprint for a satellite terminal in the land between the two runways, well before the 2024 deadline. This will increase the passenger handling capacity from 20million passengers per year to 35 million passengers per year.
