THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new domestic terminal of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will become functional by mid-August. Maintenance works in the old international terminal, which is taking a new avatar as the domestic terminal, are progressing at a fast pace. ‘’Though the exact date of opening has not been finalised, we plan to make the new terminal functional by mid-August,’’ Airport Director G Chandramouli told a press conference here on Friday. Along with the new domestic terminal, a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control system that will revolutionise air traffic management will also be in place in the airport soon.The highlight of the new air traffic management will be the introduction of a Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) system that allows faster aircraft to land fast. But, it is still not clear whether users of the new domestic terminal will have to pay any user fee as in the new international terminal. ‘’I am not in a position to comment on that. In fact, we are not sure about that. The decision needs to be taken by the top management in consultation with Airport Users’ Consultative Committee(AUCC),’’ said Chandramouli. A 22-member AUCC has been constituted for the airport and it will meet by the end of this month to discuss about the existing user fee in the international airport. The committee will have a representative of the State Government along with representatives of all other stakeholders. ‘’In future, the views of the Committee will be sought before fixing any charge like user fee,’’ assured Chandramouli. Advanced equipment worth Euro 319,000 (about Rs 2.04 crore) imported from Spain has reached the airport. It will be installed in the newly-found space on the third floor of the new domestic terminal in the coming weeks. Though the existing radar won’t be replaced soon, the new supporting infrastructure will be able to put an end to the frequent complaints about the ATC system. After the commissioning of the new international terminal on March 1 this year, the AAI was planning to shift the domestic terminal to a new building. The original plan to construct a new building at Rs 15 crore, adjacent to the international terminal, was scrapped as it turned out to be not economically viable. Later, it was decided to give a facelift to the old international terminal. The work of the restaurant and the counters of airlines remains to be completed, while all other arrangements are already in place.
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