Tirupati Airport to have new integrated terminal

The Airport at the temple town of Tirupati will sonn have a new integrated terminal. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the new Integrated Terminal at Tirupati Airport.
"Tirupati is one of the major pilgrim centers in our country and attracts people as pilgrims from all over the world. Therefore, it is only appropriate that we are modernizing and upgrading facilities at the existing airport to provide for international operations," said the PM.
The entire investment for the project is being met through the budgetary resources of the Government of India and it is estimated that in Phase I, an amount of Rs174 crore will be incurred. The state government has already handed over 293 acres of land out of the 718 acres committed for modernisation and development of the Tirupati airport.
Once this new integrated terminal is operational, the Tirupati airport will have the capacity to handle 500 domestic and 200 international passengers during peak hours. The new Terminal Building will be equipped to provide modern state of the art amenities to passengers.
After international operations commence at Tirupati airport, pilgrims from neighbouring countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Srilanka would find it easier to come to Tirupati in large numbers, contributing to its development into a major religious-cum-tourist hub.
"The civil aviation sector is a key contributor to the Indian economy. It enables other sectors to operate more efficiently. Many sectors of the economy which will drive our growth in the future depend critically on air transport for competing effectively in the global economy. By expanding the size of the market that can be accessed, aviation enlarges the scope to exploit economies of scale and enhances competition. It supports tourism in a big way and generates employment, both directly and indirectly," the PM added.