PM Modi virtually inaugurates Port Blair Airport's new terminal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the new integrated terminal building (NITB) of Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A statue of VD Savarkar was unveiled by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on the premises. Later along with the Union Minister of State for Road, Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, General (Retd.) VK Singh, Scindia took a tour of the establishment.

The building is shaped like a shell, that illustrates the natural environs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The entire terminal will have 100 per cent natural lighting for 12 hours a day, which will be gained through roof skylights. The new terminal building has a total built-up area of 40,837 sq metres and is likely to handle around 40 lakh passengers annually. The three-storey building shall be equipped with 28 check-in counters, three passenger boarding bridges and four conveyor belts.

PM Modi posted pictures of the terminal building on his official Twitter handle. PM Modi said during the virtual inauguration of the terminal building, “Till now, the present terminal could handle 4,000 tourists every day. This new terminal will increase the capacity to 11,000 tourists. In the last nine years, we have sensitively rectified the mistakes of previous governments and created new facilities. "A new model of development has emerged in India, which is of taking everyone along. This model is 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'.” The prime minister added that for a long time in India, development was only restricted to the big cities due to the selfish politics of some parties, which led to tribal and island regions being deprived of development.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) constructed the NITB at an estimated cost of Rs 707.73 crore because of the rise in passenger traffic.