Hyderabad airport to inaugurate newly-expanded terminal soon

Hyderabad: Hyderabad International Airport is all set to inaugurate the first phase of the expanded terminal.The airport embarked on a major expansion to cater to the rising demand in passenger traffic and augment the passenger-handling capacity beyond 34 million people. Improved connectivity with new route development, growth in air traffic and demand for new runway slots also played a major role in the enhancement of the airport.

As part of the first phase of the expansion, the East Pier (straight) portion area will be inaugurated for the passengers soon. Spread across 15,742 square meters in three levels, the newly expanded part of the terminal will be integrated with the present terminal.

To accelerate passenger boarding and disembarking from the aircraft, three aerobridges will be operational. For contactless and seamless travelling, six e-gates (two for each boarding gate) will be operationalised, where the passengers can walk past for security checks and then board the flight in minimum time thereby reducing the waiting and boarding process.

The new and bigger Hyderabad airport will include an additional built-up area that would be integrated with the existing Integrated Terminal Building (at concourse and piers) with additional infrastructure at the airside and landside area.

The revamped integrated passenger terminal will increase the area to 379,370 square meters. It will have 149 check-in counters, 26 security screening machines with ATRS, 44 emigration counters, and 44 immigration counters. The expanded domestic and international pier buildings will have more lounges, retail, and F&B outlets. With additional infrastructure added to the east and west pier buildings, there will be 44 contact gates, 28 remote departure gates, and nine remote arrival gates available for smooth operations

Also, four new Rapid Exit Taxiways (RETs) have been added to enhance runway capacity and improve operational efficiency. These RETs are designed to allow aircraft to taxi off the runaway at relatively shorter distances and hence, reduce runway occupancy time, thereby increasing runway capacity. Also, a new Parallel Taxiway has been built for effective operation during secondary runway utilisation.

Over the years, with the continued growth in passenger traffic, the International Interim Departure Terminal and Interim Domestic Arrival Terminal were commissioned to enhance passenger experience and drive operational efficiency. As one of the fastest-growing airports in India, Hyderabad International Airport catered to 21 million passengers in fiscal 2019. The airport recorded robust growth in passenger traffic with a four-year CAGR of 20% during 2015 and 2019.