The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Accord signed on new international airport

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 21, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Accord signed on new international airport

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 20. With the signing of the concession agreement today between the Government and the Hyderabad International Airport Limited (HIAL), decks have been cleared for developing a Greenfield international airport at Shamshabad, 20 km from Hyderabad, through public-private partnership.

The Rs. 1,400-crore project will be implemented by the consortium of GMR Infrastructure Limited and Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB), selected last July through competitive bidding by the Union Government and the Andhra Pradesh Government. The consortium, as majority partner, will be responsible for the design, finance, construction, operation, maintenance and management of the new international airport.

At a press conference here, Kiran Kumar Grandhi of GMR Infrastructure Limited said the new airport, expected to become operational by 2008, would provide efficient, world class service to passengers as well as airlines and would be able to handle five million passengers in the first phase.

He said that services like security, air traffic, customs and immigration would be provided by the Government while the consortium would maintain the airport. The GMR group would hold 63 per cent of the equity and its Malaysian partner another 11 per cent and the rest (26 per cent) would be divided equally between the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Futuristic facilities

The airport would be equipped with futuristic facilities and easily accommodate the operation of large new airliners such as Boeing 747, Airbus 340 and others. The runway would have a length of 4260 metres and 10 boarding bridges and 60 check-in counters would serve the passengers. Another unique facility would be the airport village, located at the entrance of the terminal building having an area of over 5,200 sq metres with retail space for passengers and the public.

Mr. Grandhi said the airport would have the potential of serving as a transit hub for Middle-East and South-East Asia due to its geographical location, salubrious weather conditions round the year.

It would have a flying time of four hours from Singapore, Dubai and Colombo. Rapidly emerging as the centre for Information Technology and pharma industry, Hyderabad is the fifth largest city in India and serves 29 domestic destinations from the present airport at Begumpet in the heart of the city, leaving no scope for further expansion.

The Government has agreed to the closure of the airport at Begumpet once the new airport becomes operational.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh