PM to virtually inaugurate new integrated terminal building of Port Blair airport today

Port Blair: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the new integrated terminal building (NITB) of the Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Tuesday, officials said.

According to the itinerary, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of State for Road, Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, General (Retd.) V K Singh and senior officials will arrive at the airport to attend the ceremony.

After virtually inaugurating the terminal building, Modi will also deliver a speech, highlighting the importance of the NITB for the archipelago.

The delegation will go on a tour of the new terminal building and may also visit Cellular Jail before leaving Port Blair on Tuesday, the officials said.

The building is shaped like a shell, depicting the natural environs of the islands.

The entire terminal will have 100 per cent natural lighting for 12 hours a day which will be achieved through skylights on the roof, they said.

Due to a surge in passenger traffic, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) constructed the NITB at an estimated cost of Rs707.73 crores.

With a total built-up area of 40,837 sq metres, the new terminal building will have the capacity to handle 1,200 passengers during peak hours and around 40 lakh passengers annually.

The three-storey building will be equipped with 28 check-in counters, three passenger boarding bridges and four conveyor belts.