PRIME Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair on Tuesday via video conferencing. Noting that boosting connectivity infrastructure has been a major focus of the Government, the Prime Minister’s Office said the new facility, built at a cost of around Rs 710 crore, will play a key role in enhancing connectivity to the island, a union territory.

 

With a total built-up area of around 40,800 sqm, the building will be capable of handling about 50 lakh passengers annually. An apron suitable for two Boeing-767-400 and two Airbus-321 type aircraft has also been constructed at the airport at a cost of Rs 80 crore, making it suitable for parking 10 aircraft at a time, the PMO said. The architectural design of the airport terminal resembles a shell-shaped structure, depicting the sea and islands. The new airport terminal building has a number of sustainability features like a double-insulated roofing system to reduce heat gain, skylights to provide maximum inlet of sunlight during the day to reduce artificial light usage inside the building.