According to AAI (Airports Authority India), Chennai Airport has been witnessing considerable traffic growth over the years which has necessitated the revamp of the airport, aimed at improving the passenger terminal facilities.
The modernization of the airport was planned in two stages. The first stage has seen the dismantling of the existing 19,250m2 Domestic Terminal T-2 to enable the construction of a new facility, which is scheduled to be commissioned by June 2021. The second stage will involve the demolition of the existing International Terminal T-3, and construction of a new terminal. AAI hopes the project will be complete by the end of 2022.
The combined terminal (Stage 1 and Stage 2) will function as one large integrated terminal for international and domestic operations and should increase the airport’s capacity from 21 million passengers per annum to 35 million.
AAI states that the new terminal will be GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) compliant, with various sustainable materials integrated during the construction phase.
Furthermore, a host of new facilities will help ensure the smooth flow of passengers, including automated tray retrieval systems (ATRS), self-baggage drop (SBD), a passenger flow monitoring system (PFMS) and boarding process control e-gates.
