Hyd airport to hit 34m flyers per year capacity by '23 end

HYDERABAD: The expansion at GMR-run Hyderabad International Airport is inching closer to completion with the airport operationalising the additional east area spanning 6.07 lakh sq ft and integrating it with the existing terminal as part of the fourth phase of the airport expansion project."With this, 29.5 lakh sq ft of area (earlier 23.42 lakh sq ft) has now been operationalized at the airport and 95% of the ongoing airport expansion has been completed. The rest is slated to be completed by the end of this year," sources at GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) said.The airport, which took off with an initial capacity to accommodate 12 million passengers per annum (mppa) in 2008, embarked up on an expansion in mid-2021 to cater to over 34 million passengers per annum at an investment of $840 million.In fact, in 2022-23, after the aviation sector shrugged off the pandemic impact, the airport handled a total passenger traffic of 21 million in 2022-23.According to GHIAL sources, the newly built expanded east area is equipped with 24 remote bus domestic departure gates and arrival facilities, 12 passenger boarding aero bridges, contact stands, and a domestic-to-domestic (D-D) transfer area. The area is also The area also has three ATRS (automatic tray retreival system) machines, one screening machine, 12 departure gates, 22 escalators and elevators each, two travellators, 19 staircases, nine restrooms each for men and women, among other amenities. An additional 85 aircraft stand, ground service equipment tunnel, four new rapid taxiways, among others have also been added at the airside