Surat (Gujarat) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the new terminal building of Surat airport in Gujarat. The new integrated terminal building at the airport is equipped to handle 1,200 domestic passengers and 600 international passengers during peak hours.
It has a provision for further increasing the peak hour capacity to 3,000 passengers with the annual handling capacity increasing to 55 lakh passengers, as per an official statement. As the gateway to the Surat city, the terminal building has been designed with its local culture and heritage ensuring that the essence should reflect both in the interior and exterior, creating a sense of place for the visitors, it said.
The new terminal building is built at a cost of Rs 353 crore. PM Modi, who is on a day-long visit to Surat, will also dedicate to the people the Surat Diamond Bourse - world's largest and modern centre for international diamond and jewellery business. The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi earlier this week approved the proposal to declare Surat Airport as an international airport.
Surat airport will not only become a gateway for international travellers but also facilitate seamless export-import operations for the thriving diamond and textile industries. The overall capacity of Surat Airport will increase three times once its newly built terminal building is operational, said Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman of the Airports Authority of India. (with agency inputs)
