GMR Group to take up development of Nagpur Airport

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Global infrastructure conglomerate GMR Group said on Friday that it will take up the responsibility of further developing the Nagpur Airport.

The development is consequent to the ruling by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.

According to the company, the existing facilities at Nagpur Airport have been operating close to the maximum capacity, handling a total of about 3 million passengers and 9,500 metric tonnes of cargo during the 2019-20 financial year.

"Leveraging its experience in public-private partnerships (PPP) and extensive expertise in taking over legacy airport assets and developing them into modern aviation landmarks, GMR envisages development of the Nagpur Airport in phases to an ultimate capacity of around 30 million passengers annually, representing a capacity increase of over 1,000 per cent over the coming years," the company said in a statement.

The first phase of development will see GMR initiate a complete transformation of the Nagpur Airport over a four-year period, including the construction of a new Greenfield integrated terminal with initial capacity of handling 4 million passengers per annum, associated aeronautical infrastructure, including aprons and taxiways, new car park and approach road and a new cargo terminal.

"At the same time, the existing passenger terminal will also be refurbished to enhance its capacity, improve passenger facilities, introduce modern technology and upgrade the overall ambience to cater to the traffic and operational requirements in the interim period," the company said.

The group also said that it will focus on replicating its successful upgrade efforts in Delhi Airport and Cebu-Mactan in Philippines to take Nagpur Airport to the next level.

"Over the longer term, GMR will invest further in the Nagpur Airport project, including the expansion of terminal handling capacity, development of a second runway and a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower to boost capacity to levels that could potentially serve the needs for the next 2-3 decades of growth in the Orange City," it said.