The Hindu : Chennai poised for growth in air traffic

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Chennai poised for growth in air traffic

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI JAN. 7. Even as private carriers are waiting in the wings to fly to neighbouring SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries including Sri Lanka from Chennai, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has projected a growth in traffic out of the Anna international terminal (AIT) at 5.3 per cent and out of the Kamaraj domestic terminal (KDT) at 3.1 per cent during 2003-04.

While the KDT handled 2.21 million passengers and the AIT 1.94 million during 2002-03, there are positive signs of traffic to the ``Gateway of south India'' growing faster given the proximity to South-East Asia, as more foreign carriers are seeking to increase direct operations to Chennai, the airport director, R. J. Treasuryvala, told The Hindu.

The AIT had so far handled 159 international flights per week and 23 every day. There were a total of 13 airline operators. The AAI already embarked on a plan to cater for the future growth of the Chennai airport.

The International Airports Division of the Airports Authority of India (IAD-AAI), custodian of the terminal building, had begun widening and extension of the taxiing track, linking the main runway to the Tambaram-end of the airport, at a cost of Rs.6 crores. This was to facilitate easy movement of widebodied jets.

Work on the taxiing track and construction of a canopy outside the KDT, taken up at a cost of Rs.3 crores, would be completed by July-end.

The airport director said a modern Common User Terminal Equipment facility, commissioned at the AIT recently, reduced the pre-flight check-in time for passengers. Conventional television sets were being replaced with 42-inch plasma TV sets for a clearer view of information on flights and passenger facilities.

Illumination of the airport was being done with the latest ``trulite technology''. The project, covering the KDT departure area, was taken up at a cost of Rs.5 lakhs. The facade lighting of the terminal buildings was being improved at a cost of Rs.5 lakhs, by installing high-mast lamps and approach lighting systems.

The IAD-AAI was planting over 200 trees in and around the car parking area, besides taking up landscaping on the city side of the terminal buildings.

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