Prayagraj airport poised for a new look, more capacity

In view of the large number of devotees and tourists expected to arrive for the mega religious fair Mahakumbh 2025, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) would soon float a tender for construction of a new building which would further enhance the facilities of the airport, informed airport officials.

“The proposed new set-up would be spread over 9500 square metres with a new building, catering up to 250 passengers who arrive and depart from our airport”, said director (regional) AAI, Prayagraj, RR Pandey.

The new facility would have four new aero bridges, taking the total number of aero bridges at the airport to six, he added.

There would also be three parking bays for accommodating aircraft of Airbus 320 class, he shared.

Besides, another taxiway will be constructed at the airport after which there will be two taxiways connecting the airport to the main runway.

There is also a proposal for a separate apron for smaller aircraft at the airport. The officials propose an extended apron where at least eight smaller aircrafts may be parked.

When the upcoming facilities were clubbed with the existing infrastructure, the Prayagraj airport would be able to handle 400 passengers at any given time, the officials shared.

Besides, the parking facilities of four and two-wheelers will also be extended.

“When our capacity to handle passengers gets enhanced, we also need to provide parking facilities for vehicles which would come to drop or receive them. We will have an additional facility for parking 250 cars, four buses, 50 two-wheelers and 50 vehicles of taxi services (Ola, Uber etc),” officials said.

Presently, the Prayagraj airport offers air connectivity to 11 cities wherein IndiGo and Alliance Air provide their services. The cities to which IndiGo has direct flights include Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Delhi and Dehradun. Alliance Air has flights for Delhi, Dehradun and Bilaspur.