With landscaping, food outlets and walkways, spaces outside Chennai airport terminals to look, feel better

As operations have commenced at the new integrated terminal at Chennai airport, the spaces outside the terminals will be spruced up with landscaping, walkways, selfie points and food outlets.

As operations have commenced at the new integrated terminal at Chennai airport, the spaces outside the terminals will be spruced up with landscaping, walkways, selfie points and food outlets.

A mini-hub with restaurants and seating area is part of the proposed work that will change the landscape outside the domestic and international terminals, said officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The landscaping work has already begun outside the new integrated terminal and it will be taken up in a phased manner at the airport. Since the phase 2 modernisation work is being carried out at a cost of about ₹2,500 crore, the old terminals are being demolished and a new integrated large terminal is being constructed.

At present, the old domestic terminal has been pulled down and a part of the new integrated terminal has been opened. The old international too, will be demolished in the coming months. As a result, the ongoing beautification activity and other related work will be taken up over the next two years in a phased manner, officials said.

“The space opposite the existing domestic terminal will have a host of food and beverage options for air passengers and visitors, with a seating area. There will be canopies at different spots. We also plan to put up artefacts and selfie points as well. Also, there will be walkways with good lighting across the whole space. As of now, we have started with the landscaping work. The rest of the facilities will be created one after another,” an official said. Murals will be created on the pillars of the vehicular flyover in the airport, he added.

Meanwhile, IndiGo airline has commenced operations of international flights from the new integrated terminal that was inaugurated two months ago. All narrow body aircraft operations are likely to move to this new building in another two weeks and the shifting of all international operations should be over by July, officials said.