The old domestic terminal of the Calcutta airport will be pulled down. It is almost defunct now except for handling a few special flights.
The building became operational in 1995 and remained the hub of Calcutta airport’s domestic flight operations till the new integrated terminal became functional in 2013.
It is located to the left as one takes a right turn towards the departure gates of the existing integrated terminal through the ramp.
The white building is adjacent to the integrated building just after the bus terminal. The area opposite the building has now been allocated for app-cab parking.
The demolition of the building is part of a two-phase expansion plan of the Calcutta airport.
Airport officials said a private agency will soon be given the contract to demolish the 30-year-old building. The work is likely to start in August.
“The contract for the demolition will be given to a private agency soon. Construction and other materials from the demolished building will be auctioned,” airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria told The Telegraph.
“The demolition of the building will mark the beginning of the expansion project,” he said.
The agency that gets the contract is supposed to pay ₹1.5 crore to the airport authorities as part of the auction cost.
Airport sources said Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Ltd, a government-owned e-commerce company, is finalising hiring the agency.
The old domestic building was approximately 22,500 square metres with an annual capacity to handle 50 lakhpassengers.
The total area of the present integrated terminal building is 2,22,973 square metres, with an annual capacity to handle 26 million passengers.
As part of the airport’s expansion plan, a new terminal building covering 1.2 lakh square metres will come up to handle the increasing passenger numbers.
The Airports Authority of India has sent a project proposal, with an approximate cost of ₹4,500 crore, to the Centre for approval.
Work is now underway for a modular expansion of the airport to add 2 million to the annual passenger count capacity, taking it to 28 million. A budget of ₹130 crore has been allocated for the project.
“However, despite the expansion, we will require a new terminal by 2030,” an airport official said.
The new terminal building is estimated to have an annual capacity of 11 millionpassengers.
“After the construction of the new integrated terminal building, the existing one will be converted for domestic operation with an assessed annual passenger capacity of 34 million per year,” said an airport official.
The old domestic building, which will be demolished, often struggled to handle the rush of passengers. Fliers would often complain about long queues at the entry gates and security hold check-in counters.
A canopy was built from one end of the old domestic terminal to the other to increase lounge space. Spanning over 2,650 square metres, it was built in three phases.
Despite the expansion, the terminal’s infrastructure was insufficient to handle the increasing number of passengers, especially in the domestic sector.
Adding to the problem was the lack of work culture among some airport employees, which had resulted in dirty washrooms and an untidy lounge.
When the existing integrated building became operational in 2013, most low-cost carriers operated out of the old domestic terminal.
“This time, special flights carrying Haj pilgrims will be operating out of the old domestic terminal,” said an airport official.