The airports at Lucknow, Deoghar, Rajkot and Allahabad would be spruced up by Airports Authority of India to improve and develop infrastructure to meet growing traffic demands.

The authority plans to construct a new integrated passenger terminal building at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow with at an estimated cost of Rs 1,230 crore. According to AAI, Lucknow airport’s passenger traffic has increased steadily in the last five years. As many as 4,000 passengers during peak hour and 6.35 million passengers per annum can be handled by the new terminal.

At Deoghar in Jharkhand, AAI will develop the airport to facilitate joint use for civil operation up to Airbus-320 and defence research and development organisation (DRDO) operation up to C-130 type of aircraft. The work will be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 401.34 crore on fixed cost basis and Rs 427.43 crore on completion cost basis. A pact was inked between Jharkhand government, DRDO and AAI in March 2017.

In view of the Ardh Kumbh Mela to be held in January 2019, AAI would build a new civil enclave at Allahabad.

AAI will also take up the work of development of greenfield airport at Hirasar, Rajkot in Gujrat on build, operate and maintain (BOM) basis. Gujarat government has provided the land free of cost and proposed the construction of the greenfield airport to meet the traffic potential of Saurashtra region, as indicated by its high level of economic growth.