Varanasi: The long overdue demand to expand the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi is all set to be realized as the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the development of the international airport.
Under the development project, the airport terminal will be completely redesigned and expanded even as a new runway will also be built in order to accommodate the increasing air traffic at the busy airport.
In a press statement issued in this regard, an official said that PM Modi approved the proposal of Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi including Construction of New Terminal Building, Apron Extension, Runway Extension, Parallel Taxi Track and Allied works.
The estimated financial outgo will be Rs 2869.65 Crore for enhancing the passenger handling capacity of the airport to 9.9 million passengers per annum (MPPA) from the existing 3.9 MPPA. The New Terminal Building, which encompasses an area of 75,000 sqm is designed for a capacity of 6 MPPA and for handling 5000 Peak Hour Passengers (PHP). It is designed to offer a glimpse of the vast cultural heritage of the city.
The proposal includes extending the runway to dimensions 4075m x 45m and constructing a new Apron to park 20 aircraft. Varanasi airport will be developed as a green airport with the primary objective of ensuring environmental sustainability through energy optimization, waste recycling, carbon footprint reduction, solar energy utilization, and incorporation of natural daylighting, alongside other sustainable measures throughout the planning, development, and operational stages.
