Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Raja Bhoj Airport here is spending Rs 20 crore on the reconfiguration of the terminal building to streamline traffic by having separate arrival and departure operations.
Currently, both arrival and departure operations are located on the same floor, often leading to significant operational challenges and congestion, especially during peak hours when multiple flights arrive simultaneously.
This affects the flow of vehicles, particularly those exiting from the departure hall side.
The first phase, involving the creation of an arrival hall on the lower ground floor, is nearing completion and is expected to be ready for operation by October this year.
The subsequent phases will take up the reconfiguration of the departure hall, which will remain on the upper ground floor, and the Security Hold Area (SHA).
Expansion of arrival & departure halls
The new arrival hall will have an area of approximately 2,700 sqm compared to the existing 2,000 sqm on the upper floor. This enhanced space will offer improved comfort and accommodate a higher passenger throughput, or the number of passengers handled by a terminal over a period of time.
The 2,000 sqm area vacated on the upper ground floor with the shifting of the arrival hall will be utilised in the expansion of the departure hall, international arrivals, and the SHA, thus enhancing the terminal capacity and processing efficiency of the airport. The increased floor area at both arrival and departure levels will also enable the addition of more check-in counters, commercial outlets, and modern passenger amenities.
Enhanced facilities in new arrival hall
The new arrival hall will be equipped with modern, state-of-the-art amenities for passenger convenience, such as the flight information display system (FIDS) for real-time flight status updates, three conveyor belts for baggage delivery, and lifts and escalators for seamless movement across different floor levels.
Convenient access to parking
With the arrival hall moving closer to the parking area (approximately 150 metres away, on the same level), arriving passengers will have easier and direct access to transport options, eliminating the need to descend from the upper level along with the baggage.
Streamlining of vehicular traffic
Separate vehicular access and exit routes for arrivals and departures will significantly reduce congestion at the city side of the terminal, ensuring smoother access for passengers and visitors.
‘First in state’
Ramjee Awasthi, Director, Raja Bhoj Airport, said to the Free Press that work on the arrival hall is nearing completion, and it would be commissioned in October. The Raja Bhoj Airport would be the first in the state to have separate arrival and departure halls, he said.
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