Good news for North-East: Bagdogra Airport in Darjeeling to undergo major upgrades for increased passenger capacity; Key points
Nestled in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Bagdogra Airport is all set to enter a new phase of progress. A sprawling new terminal will soon come up to accommodate the increase in air travelers and increase the airport's connectivity.
Siliguri: Bagdogra Airport, near Siliguri in West Bengal's Darjeeling district, has major improvements in the offing. Construction plans have been completed and construction is expected to start next month. The core objective is a brand new terminal designed to handle more passengers than the current building. This expansion decision is in line with the increase in air traffic in the area. The existing terminal is currently full, making it difficult to keep the peak in the number of passengers within limits. However, the expected terminal will reduce this overcrowding and ensure a more spacious and efficient space for travelers, according to a report by news agency IANS.
Significance of Bagdogra Airport Expansion
The development of Bagdogra Airport promises several benefits for the region. First, it increases connectivity and accessibility; tourists and business travelers have easy access to Siliguri and nearby areas. This development will in turn boost the growth of tourism and trade across the region.
“The tender acceptance process was completed in November last year and the process for examining the bids and finalizing them was completed in December. The initial corpus of Rs 883.80 crore for the first phase of expansion is also available and work will begin next month,” a source from the Bagdogra airport advisory committee said in the report.
Date of completion of the first phase of the expansion
The first phase of the expansion is expected to be completed in 30 months and the entire project is expected to be completed by 2029. The expansion was necessitated by the fact that Bagdogra Airport remains overcrowded throughout the year as its capacity is only 5,000 passengers while the daily footfall is around 20,000 passengers.
Construction of a new terminal building will start soon
It is learned that the processes for issuing tenders for the project began after the acquisition of 104 hectares of land. The construction of the new terminal building will be carried out at a cost of Rs 950.45 crore and the total project cost was estimated at Rs 1,884 crore. The area of the new terminal building will be over one square meter and the expansion work will include the construction of ten new aircraft bridges. Work on six of these will be completed in the first phase.
(With input from agencies)