Amausi's new terminal set to open

Delayed by almost three years, the new terminal building in Lucknow will finally be inaugurated by civil aviation minister Ajit Singh on May 19. The terminal, however, will be operational a couple of days after the inauguration. Confirming this, airport director Atul Dikshit said that the entire passenger load will be transferred to the new terminal building. “The old terminal will be closed for renovation,” Dikshit said.    Spread over an area of around 20,000 sq mts, the three-tier building had comeunder the scanner of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following reports of financial anomalies in its construction. The building is estimated to be constructed at a cost of around Rs 120 crore. 
Enough to accommodate 750 passengers at any given point of time, the new terminal will have internet cafes, duty-free shops, cafeterias, snack bars, book shops and jewellery stores. While the ground floor will have the arrival and departure points, the first floor will have a lounge connected to two aerobridges that will enable the passengers to walk straight into the aircraft. 
AAI officials said that the parking space for vehicles too is ready for operational use. Likewise, offices of the airlines will be shifted in the new terminal soon after the inauguration. He said that the allotment of plazas and offices to different airlines has been done. An official in one of the private airlines confirmed that the AAI has issued them a notice to shift into the new terminal building. Construction of the new terminal building faced a host of labor problems that delayed the ambitious project considerably. In 2010, over 300 labourers refused to resume work after they were reportedly denied payment by the contractor of the Brahmaputra Construction Limited, the agency that was entrusted with the job of constructing the terminal building. 
The new terminal holds much significance given the fact that it serves the capital of country's largest state in terms of population. Lucknow has been witnessing an increase in the number of airlines coming forth to connect it with other cities in India as well as abroad. With the airport witnessing a steady increase – often estimated in the range of 15-20% every year – the need for a new terminal has increasingly been felt. The airport now witnesses around 2.5 lakh fliers every year. This is likely to go over 3 lakh by end of current financial year. The coming of new terminal is also important for the fact that the present terminal is fast losing its sheen and utility.In November last cleaning operations in the new terminal were carried out on a war-footing after the ministry of civil aviation indicated that it could be high time when the facility be thrown open to public use. November 19, which is the birth anniversary of late PM Indira Gandhi, was chosen as the date. This was later shifted to December 24.