Post upgradation, Jammu airport expects a 25% jump in traffic
The Airports Authority of India-run Jammu airport, recently upgraded with enhanced passenger amenities, is expected to log a 25 percent jump in passenger traffic at 1.5 million this fiscal, driven by new flights and routes. The airport has already invested Rs. 90 crore in upgrades and plans to invest another Rs. 70 crore in runway expansion and other related work, said the management.
Jammu airport director D K Gautam speaks about traffic growth
"We've added new flights and routes this fiscal, which include flights to Lucknow, Srinagar, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Hyderabad, and Jaipur," said Airport Director DK Gautam. "These services are expected to push up traffic growth by 25% as we are expecting to fly 1.5mn passengers in FY18."
Jammu airport had flown 1.16 million passengers in FY17
The airport had flown 1.16 million passengers in FY17, Gautam said, adding the airport now handles 48 aircraft movements, 24 departures and arrivals daily. Gautam said the airport will be commissioning three aerobridges and an additional taxiing track by next month, which will help the airport operator in early exit of the aircraft from the runway as well as faster boarding process.
After upgradation of the airport, passenger handling capacity has doubled
"We're also expanding the runway length to 8,000 ft from 6,700 ft now at an investment of about Rs. 90 crore. This would help us operate A320 type aircraft at full load. At present, an aircraft takes off with a load penalty of 15-20 percent," he added. He said that following the upgrade, the per-hour passenger handling capacity has doubled to 720 from 360.
