New Hyd airport to start flights by March 08

Hyderabad, Sep 10: With over 80 per cent of work complete, the new Hyderabad airport is gearing up for commercial operations in March next year.

''We're right on target, though no date has been fixed for a formal opening,'' said Mr T. Srinagesh, chief operating officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL).

The greenfield project spread across 5,400 acres will open up in phases triggered by passenger traffic growth. Estimated investment for the final project is three billion dollars (about Rs 12,000 crore) by 2025.

''Indian aviation is growing at a very fast pace and we're looking forward to the first flight from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad, about 40 km from here,'' said Mr Srinagesh.

The current airport at Begumpet handles about six million passengers annually. It will shut down for commercial operations as RGIA starts operating.

The initial phase of new airport will be capable of handling 12 million passengers and 100,000 tonnes of cargo per year.

It will have an ultimate capacity of 50 million passengers per annum and is designed to handle new large aircraft, including the Airbus A380. The modular design of airport will allow incremental expansion of each area, without major rebuilding or operational disruption.

Its single terminal building will be equipped with 12 contact boarding gates, 30 remote stands for aircraft parking, 60 common user terminal equipment (CUTE) check-in desks and 24 self check-in kiosks, and 30 immigration counters.

The new airport will have six rapid exitways so that a plane does not occupy the main runway for over a minute. It will also feature the latest IT systems operational database technology. ''The level of screening and security will be far higher at the RGIA than at any airport in India,'' said Mr Srinagesh. RGIA will initially cover 100,000 square metres of floor space that will ensure rapid transit between domestic and international concourses. The complex will have a dedicated airport village with local flavour complete with shops, and a separate area for meet and greet. There will also be a business hotel near the terminal building.

The GHIAL is a joint venture company promoted by GMR group with 63 per cent equity stake, Malaysia Airports Holding Berhard (11 per cent), the Andhra Pradesh state government (13 per cent) and the Airports Authority of India (13 per cent).

Larsen&Toubro has constructed the gateway's 4.2 km long and 60 metres wide runway, taxiways and aprons. It has also installed airfield lighting and aviation hydrant systems besides constructing fire rescue station, roadways and cargo terminal.

The state government is building roads to connect the new airport with main city. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is preparing a detailed report for decongesting surrounding areas in the long run. Based on the report, GHIAL will call global tenders for a mass transit rail system.

Hyderabad is a rapidly growing base for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, IT and IT-enabled service companies. It has under two hours of flying time to all major cities in the country and three to five hours from and to Singapore, Dubai and Bangkok. UNI