Pune, Mar 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to unveil the much-awaited new terminal of Pune International Airport via video-conferencing on March 10, officials said here on Thursday.

Airport Authority of India (AAI) Director, Santosh Dhoke, said that the PM will inaugurate the new terminal in the presence of top dignitaries, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and others.

The Centre had faced huge flak from Opposition parties for the delay in the new terminal’s inauguration though it has been ready for several weeks, ostensibly owing to the non-availability of the PM.

After the formal inauguration, flight safety and other tests shall be conducted for over a month before it will be opened for regular operations.

Built at a cost of Rs 423 crore, the swank terminal building with modern amenities is sprawled over nearly 52,000 square metres of land acquired from the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The new terminal can handle around 3,000 flyers per hour and over 90 lakh travellers per annum and will help enhance the passenger handling capacity from the existing 7.20 million to 12-million plus.

It has parking space for more than 1,000 vehicles, 34 check-in counters, 15 lifts and 8 escalators.

After the new terminal becomes fully operational, the AAI plans to take up the renovation of the existing terminal building.

The new terminal has bits of Maharashtrian architecture with a façade designed on the famed Shaniwar Wada fort, cultural artefacts and historical facets at various locations, and will be linked to the Pune Metro lines.

According to the AAI, the airport has a 2.53 km-long runway (10/28), and an unused secondary runway is now being utilised as a taxiway by the IAF which has its base to the east of the airport, plus a 2.20 km x 23 metre parallel runway for civil operations, fully equipped with night landing, modern navigation and communications facilities.

In January, Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, had inspected the new terminal building which was being given finishing touches at that time.

Later Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar had also gone around it for an inspection.

(IANS)

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