Gorakhpur,

25 June (HS): Officials announced on Wednesday that the Gorakhpur Airport,

which now handles over two dozen flights to major Indian cities, will soon have

a new terminal building that can accommodate many more planes at the same time.

Once finished, the new facility will be capable of handling around 200 flights

per day, a significant increase from the existing 26. Passenger handling capacity would increase

from 270 to 2,500 per hour once the new terminal is open, they claimed.

The

Indian Air Force, Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the Gorakhpur district

administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the proposed

expansion on Tuesday. The MoU allows for the transfer of 42 acres of land from

the Air Force for the new terminal.

The

site is now owned by Military Engineering Services and is near to the existing

airport. Airport Director Parashar

stated that the existing infrastructure on the property would be moved to make

space for the new building. He mentioned that connection improvements such as a

roundabout from Nandanagar, an underpass, and four-lane road access are also in

the works. He noted that with dedicated room for ten planes, operations at the

airport will be smoother and flight turnaround times faster.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi