By Team Mangalorean Bangalore
Mangalore May 13, 2010: The New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) at Kenjar, housing both international and domestic flights, after long wait, is all set for inauguration on May 15 and is likely to be operational after a week of the formal inauguration. The construction work of the building was almost over in December last year. The NITB project was developed at a cost of Rs 150 crore, excluding the expenses for the road construction.
The granite-floored new terminal was built by glass and chrome, without using concrete anywhere. Central air conditioning system was installed in the terminal building, which has 18,200 sqm floor area and has been designed to handle 1000 passengers at a time. A 43,000 sqm apron has been constructed at a cost of Rs 18.19 crore and connected to the new concrete runway. NITB is almost three times larger in area than the Bajpe Airport. The new terminal has also reduced the distance between Mangalore city and Airport by about seven km.
Being the second biggest airport in the state, which operates domestic as well as international flights, Mangalore Airport is currently operating over 25 international flights and a few international flights serve this airport on daily basis. There are many domestic airlines such as Air Deccan, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways that operate to and from domestic terminal on regular basis at different time intervals.
With the commissioning of NITB, built by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on 18,200 sqm at Kenjar, will further accelerate this growth of Mangalore International Airport.
There are quite a few leading shipping companies eyeing to set up a base in Bajpe surroundings, which is definitely a sign of progress.
Even Gulf-based freight forward companies are planning to step into Mangalore. The project, which began in 1988, was completed in December 2009 after facing several hurdles. Being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Kenjar, a hilly terrain surrounded by the lush green vegetation and Gurpur River, has all the potentials of emerging as a place of tourist attraction.