PM Modi to inaugurate new integrated terminal building of Veer Savarkar International airport on July 18 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar International airport in Port Blair on July 18 (Tuesday) at 10:30 am via video conferencing. Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will reach the airport at 9 am.  

The new integrated terminal building has been built at a cost of around Rs 710 crore and across an area of around 40,800 sqm. The new terminal building will be capable of handling at least 50 lakh passengers annually.  

An apron suitable for handling two Boeing 767-400 and two Airbus 321 aircraft has also been constructed at the Veer Savarkar International airport at a cost of around Rs 80 crore, according to a Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) release.  

The terminal building’s architectural design resembles a shell-shaped infrastructure depicting sea and islands. The building will be equipped with 28 check-in counters, three passenger boarding bridges and four conveyor belts.

Watch: Hermès Birkin bag a better investment than gold and stock market? See what experts say about investing in the iconic luxury handbags, inspired by style icon Jane Birkin who passed away at 76

Watch: Oppenheimer quoted Bhagavad Gita after 1st atomic test; Cillian Murphy read Hindu scripture before shooting; Know about father of atomic bomb depicted in Christopher Nolan's movie

It also has sustainability features such as double insulated roofing system, LED lighting, and low heat gain glazing. The airport will have 100 per cent natural lighting for 12 hours a day through skylights along the roof.  

Other features of the new terminal building at the Port Blair aimed at sustainability are rainwater catchment in an underground water tank, on-site sewage treatment plant with 100 per cent of treated wastewater reused for landscaping and a 500 KW capacity solar power plant.  

The new integrated terminal building will boost air traffic, enhance tourism in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and boosting the connectivity of the area.  It is also aimed at giving a shot in the arm to the region’s economy. The airport is named after the freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also known as Veer Savarkar.  

Apart from the civilian terminal operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), other air traffic operations over Port Blair are undertaken by the Indian Navy. At present, the airport has a single runway of 3,290 m in length that can accommodate narrow-body aircraft including Airbus A320, Airbus A321, and Boeing 737.

Watch: Tovino Thomas as Superman, Deepika Padukone as Wonder Woman as AI images show superheroes during 2018 Kerala floods, another AI artist reimagines superheroes in Delhi rains

Watch: Dhoni’s car and bike collection seen in video by Venkatesh Prasad; Check out vintage cars owned by CSK skipper

Watch: Is YouTuber Dhruv Rathee going to make a wild card entry on Salman Khan's Bigg Boss OTT 2? Know about other contestants, row over Salman Khan smoking on live TV

Watch: Income Tax raids YouTuber Taslim’s house in UP; Know all about his earnings and recent raids on other YouTubers in Kerala including Pearle Maaney, Sujith Bhakthan

Watch: IIT graduate gets caught for sending AI-written cover letter, people react as tweet goes viral

Watch: AI images of South actors Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu, Suriya, Kamal Haasan, Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan as Vikings characters

Also Read: Reliance Brands in talks to buy Alia Bhatt’s childwear brand Ed-a-Mamma for Rs 300-350 crore: Report

Also Watch: Top Flip phones in India: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, Motorola Razr 40 and more

Also Read: Jio Financial Services: Can RIL do a repeat of 2005? 3-5% upside possible for Reliance shares, says Nuvama

Watch: AI-generated images of Twitter’s Elon Musk and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg show possibility of a “good ending" amid the much-anticipated cage fight

Watch: Vijay Sethupathi, Katrina Kaif’s first look out from Merry Christmas; Know about release date, cast, plot; avoids clash with Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki, up against Sidharth Malhotra’s Yodha at Box Office