airport
Jabalpur Airport. Credit: Ishpray

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun its Rs4.13bn ($59.3m) upgrade and expansion of the Jabalpur airport in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

According to AAI, the growing number of passenger traffic has made it essential to expand the airport and upgrade the terminal with modern facilities to accommodate larger aircraft and improve passenger experience.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha was quoted by ANI as saying: “We are working in the line of achieving the dream of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“He wants every Indian to connect and every Indian to fly. When we came to power in 2014, our country had 75 airports and the number has grown to 102 airports in the last four years. We have 27 new airports in the last four years.”

“When we came to power in 2014, our country had 75 airports and the number has grown to 102 airports in the last four years.”

The project includes construction of a new domestic passenger terminal building spanning across 9,350m². This terminal building will be able to manage 500 passengers during peak hours.

The project also includes an extension of the runway’s length to 2,750m in order to accommodate A-320 type aircraft.

Airports Authority of India Member (HR) Anuj Aggarwal told the news agency: “We have been upgrading many airports and launching new flights as per our regional connectivity Scheme called UDAN. Almost all airlines have ordered new aircraft and in the next 8-10 years, some 1,000 new aircraft will be there. These aircraft will connect some of the cities.

“As per this expansion, we have been developing airports in Jabalpur and Indore. There are many other airports like Chennai, Guwahati, Pune Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The work of their expansion has already begun.”

The project will use sustainable materials in construction of the new terminal building, which will also feature a solar photovoltaic system.