Assam: Guwahati airport to get new integrated terminal building

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started working on the new integrated terminal building of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati.

It's foundation stone was laid on January 28 by Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and CM Sarbananda Sonowal.

This step has been taken to facilitate the growth of air infrastructure in North east.

AAI has targeted to spend around Rs 3400 crores in developing the air infrastructure in northeast within 2014-15 to 2020-2021. Out of which Rs 900 crores projects have already been completed, 2300 crores more projects we are targeting to complete in next 3-4 years time, as said by Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, Airport Authority of India.

The authority is expecting that the number of flights operating from the terminal will increase significantly once the airport becomes operational for 24x7 from April onwards.

The new building is expected to be constructed by April 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 1232 crores.

Earlier on Thursday, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said the government has made great strides in the aviation industry and indicated that the policy of development for all is evident in the same as well.

On the question of provision in the Union Budget 2018, in relation to the aviation industry, Sinha said, "We had made a full announced just a few days ago. In the last 15 months, we have added 56 airports and 31 heliports in the aviation network. Before this, there were 75 airports in the country."

"The small towns are also able to avail flight services, so you can see that we are giving everyone all the facilities whether it is flight services or toilet facilities, bank accounts or the electricity and roads," he added.

The Union Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today.

The former Finance Minister lauded the economic and foreign policies, introduced by the Centre.