As part of the airport master plan development presented by the Ahmedabad International Airport Limited (AIAL) before Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), a Metro station and Metro-link corridor will soon come up at the airport.
This means transiting passengers can directly board the Metro to reach the airport or near their destinations.
The project is expected to cost at least Rs 400 crore according to sources. The proposed site for the Metro station will be adjacent to the Terminal-II.
While the project is still in planning and discussion stage between Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC), the airport operator and other stakeholders, the process for land acquisition and other regulatory approvals will begin soon. Sources confirmed that the project is expected to be operational by 2025, as part of the Phase-II of Ahmedabad Metro.
A slew of other projects are also planned as part of the Airport Master Plan.
These include setting up a new integrated terminal, refurbishment of the existing terminal buildings, runway recarpeting and allied projects, setting up a multimodal transport hub, a new cargo terminal and even a completely new tower for the air traffic controller (ATC).
AIAL has proposed that the existing ATC tower be shifted and a completely new one along with a technical block be constructed, at a cost of Rs 183 crore.
“An area of 9,840 square metres is earmarked in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) colony, near present location of the office of AAI, where the new tower will come up. The ATC tower and technical block will have a built-up area of 13,570 square metres,” states the submission by AIAL.
Notably, the plan to shift the ATC came up when the airport was being managed by AAI. However, AIAL will now execute it with necessary design modifications.
Only once the new block and tower are commissioned, will the existing ones be decommissioned.