Opening of the new Chennai airport terminal postponed till December

The decision to delay the opening of the newly commissioned airport terminal in Chennai was taken after a survey over the week-end by the Secretary, Civil Aviation Mr.K.N.Srivastava. The non-arrival of three aerobridges for the international terminal, absence of Central Industrial Security Forces and the lack of inline baggage machineries are the reasons for the delay in opening the terminal. As early as 2007, the Centre had decided to develop and upgrade the Chennai airport to international standards. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had a masterplan and design of the terminal through global architectural design competition. The plan, approved by the inter-ministerial group, aimed at enhancing the runway capacity, apron capacity as well as the capacity of the terminal buildings. When the project was sanctioned in 2008, its cost was INR 1,808 crore; later, it was revised to INR 2,015. The Ministry has already approached the Prime Minister Mr.Manmohan Singh to inaugurate the new terminal building.

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