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Sonia flags off Srinagar-Dubai flight

     Srinagar: United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday flagged off the first Air India Express weekly flight to Dubai. Airport Authority of India (AAI) official said Jammu and Kashmir would now appear on the global air map. "Initially, only one flight will be operated on every Saturday and introduction of more flights will depend on the response of valley people," he said. The first international flight from the Srinagar airport took off to Saudi Arabia's Jeddah in January 2002 for Haj pilgrims.

    The civil enclave at Srinagar was established in 1979 for facilitation of civil passengers. Srinagar Airport was declared international airport in March 2005. The existing terminal building could handle 500 passengers at a time but had no separate facility to handle international passengers. In view of the growth in air traffic and to provide modern facilities, AAI undertook the construction of a new integrated terminal building with an area of 19700 sqm, with a capacity to handle 950 passengers (500 domestic and 450 international) at a time. A total expenditure of Rs. 130 crores was incurred to develop the terminal building, apron and taxi track. The project has been fully funded by Government of India. The main features of new integrated terminal building are modern steel and glass structure, specific roof design to enable easy removal of snow during winter, central heating and air-conditioning of the entire building, escalators, inline baggage handling system for enhanced security, car park to accommodate 250 cars with proper approach road, and check-in counters with Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE) system for easy and fast check-in of passengers.
-Feb 14, 2009