- Saturday, January 04, 2025
The airport now will be able to serve 3,240 passengers during peak hours with an annual serving capacity of 4.7 million passengers, the Airports Authority of India said.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE new terminal at the airport in Dehradun, the capital of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, was officially opened on Wednesday (14). The new facility, which was inaugurated by Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Indian civi aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia who was present virtually, will make the airport capable of accommodating 3,240 passengers during peak hours.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has confirmed that the new terminal was constructed in two phases, with an estimated expenditure of Rs 486 crore (£46.6 million).
“After the operationalisation of the first phase of the terminal in a 28,729 sqm area, the old terminal building was demolished. The new terminal building in the second phase in an area of 14,047 sqm has been developed, taking the overall area of the terminal of the airport to 42,776 sqm.
“The airport now will be able to serve 3,240 passengers during peak hours with an annual serving capacity of 47 lakh (4.7 million) passengers,” AAI said in a release.
In a post on X, Dhami said in Hindi, “… the construction of this new terminal building will provide convenience to the tourists coming to Devbhoomi as well as the local people. Under the able leadership of respected Prime Minister Shri
@narendramodi ji, air services are being expanded rapidly in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand.”
निश्चित रूप से इस नए टर्मिनल भवन के बनने से देवभूमि आने वाले पर्यटकों के साथ-साथ स्थानीय लोगों को भी सुगमता होगी। आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के कुशल नेतृत्व में देवभूमि उत्तराखण्ड में हवाई सेवाओं का तेजी से विस्तार किया जा रहा है। pic.twitter.com/Fy5YQCWPPd
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) February 14, 2024
Addressing the inauguration event, Scindia said the new terminal building presents a combination of culture, nature and modern architecture and will contribute towards boosting industries, generating more jobs and tourism in the Himalayan state which draws a large number of tourists every year.
In a post on X in Hindi, he said, “Today, it was a great pleasure to inaugurate the new terminal building of Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun in the honored presence of the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri @pushkardhami ji. This launch is in line with Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji’s vision of expanding aviation services to remote areas which will set new dimensions in regional prosperity.”
आज, उत्तराखंड के मुख्यमंत्री श्री @pushkardhami जी की सम्मानित उपस्थिति में देहरादून स्थित जॉली ग्रांट हवाईअड्डे के नए टर्मिनल भवन का लोकार्पण कर एक अत्यंत सुखद अनुभूति हुई।
यह लोकार्पण, प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी की विमानन सेवाओं के सुदूर क्षेत्रों तक विस्तारीकरण की… pic.twitter.com/r36LtAi9AH
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) February 14, 2024
The airport in Dehradun has a runway of length 2,140 metres and an apron with 20 parking bays. The new terminal building is equipped with various passenger amenities such as 48 check-in counters, four conveyor belts, 12 baggage X-ray machines and a parking facility for 500 cars.
India’s aviation industry has seen a major growth since the Narendra Modi government took over in 2014. According to a release by the country’s Press Information Bureau in April last year, the number of operational airports in India has doubled from 74 in 2014 to 148 in 2023.
“This growth can be attributed to the government’s consistent efforts to improve airports and aviation infrastructure. One such initiative is the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) launched in 2016, under which 469 routes connecting 74 airports have been made operational, providing affordable air travel options for millions of Indians,” it said.
In December, Modi inaugurated an airport in the holy town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh which is expected to handle a massive tourist inflow for the Ram temple that was opened there last month.
(With PTI inputs)
