Guwahati airport's new terminal to be operational by April 2025

The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati, managed by the Adani Group, will shift to its new terminal by April 2025, a senior official confirmed to PTI. Initially targeted for completion by December 2024, the terminal's construction has been delayed by approximately four months due to a design modification.

"Our new terminal will be ready by April 2025. The delay was due to a change in the design to include more facilities in the building. We want to make it the most effective terminal in the country," stated Chief Airport Officer (CAO) Utpal Baruah.

In August 2020, the Union Cabinet approved leasing the Guwahati airport to Adani Enterprises for operation, management, and development for a period of 50 years. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had initially been developing the new terminal before the management transitioned to the Adani Group in October 2021.

"We have recently prepared the master plan of the terminal and shared it with all concerned. In the first phase, we are going to have a brand new integrated terminal building, almost six times bigger than the present one and comparable with any global one," Baruah explained.

The new terminal will have a capacity of 13.1 million passengers per annum (mppa), significantly up from the current facility's 3.4 mppa capacity. 

Regarding the investment, Baruah mentioned, "More than Rs 2,000 crore is being spent on the entire facility. Out of this, about Rs 1,600 crore is being invested in the terminal building, while the remaining will be used for constructing a new taxiway and expanding the runway."

The completion of the parallel taxiway will increase LGBI Airport's runway capacity to 34 air traffic movements from the current 18. Additionally, an approach lighting system will be implemented to reduce visibility requirements for pilots from 1,300 meters to 550 meters.

In future phases, the airport plans to develop maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities, an aerocity, a helipad, and various allied services. The airport has also set several key goals, including establishing connections with all 16 airports in the Northeast and major cities across the country, developing LGBI Airport as an international hub for Southeast Asia, expanding the cargo market in the region, and introducing air transportation for perishable goods.

Baruah emphasized the airport's role in boosting the tourism industry in the Northeast, stating that air transportation and tourism development are closely linked. "We want LGBI Airport to be the catalyst for the development of the tourism sector in the Northeast," he said.