Indian airport and GMR operated Hyderabad International Airport today inaugurated the Interim International Departures Terminal that is set to commence operations from 23 October 2018.
Rajiv Nayan Choubey, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA), Government of India, inaugurated the Interim International Departures Terminal in the presence of Shailendra Kumar Joshi, IAS, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Telangana; GBS Raju, Business Chairman, Airports, GMR Group, SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL and other dignitaries and guests.
It has been designed to cater to the continued growth in passenger traffic, while the existing PTB facility expands to more than double the present capacity. The Interim International Departures Terminal is an exclusive concourse to handle check-in, security, immigration, customs processes for departing international passengers.
After completing these formalities, passengers will seamlessly move into the main Passenger Terminal Building using a bank of elevators and escalator, where they will be able to enjoy a multitude of passenger amenities including shopping, retail, food & beverages and lounge access while awaiting boarding.
The Interim International Departures Terminal is equipped with a host of new technologies including India’s first ever remote hand baggage screening facility, which when coupled with the new Automatic Tray Retrieval System (ATRS) hand baggage screening, can offer up to double the passenger throughput at security checkpoints, cutting down wait times and enhancing passenger experience.
Recognizing Hyderabad’s increasing prominence as a leading global business and investment destination, the Interim International Departures Terminal will also offer a ‘Premium Check-in’ facility, where passengers travelling First/Business Class can experience a separate, personalized and assisted check-in process, in a comfortable setting. The terminal would also offer dedicated Immigration and Security counters to serve the First/Business class passengers, giving them a truly premium experience.
Coinciding with the opening of the new Interim International Departures Terminal, the Hyderabad Duty Free (HDF) store at the departure level too has been relocated and upgraded to offer an enhanced shopping experience to the passengers.
Raju said: “Hyderabad Airport has witnessed impressive growth, with the total traffic more than doubling over the past 4 years. This exclusive facility for international passengers is a testimony to GMR’s ability to proactively develop infrastructure and capacity to ensure unhindered growth of the civil aviation sector in the country.”
Kishore said: “Our city is witnessing a boom in air travel and with its strategic locational advantage, the passenger traffic through Hyderabad Airport is growing at a rate of about 24% YoY. Even as the main passenger terminal and other airport facilities undergo a large scale capacity expansion to meet the growth in traffic, we have developed the Interim International Departures Terminal as an extension of the existing airport with the objective of offering additional interim capacity, without compromising on passenger experience and service quality.
“The new interim facility is set to open with a host of new and innovative features such as Remote Screening of Hand Baggage and a dedicated Premium Check-in Concourse for the benefit of our passengers. The changes will only affect our departing international passengers and we will continue to handle the International Arrivals from the main passenger terminal building”.
Currently 22 airlines operate international flights from Hyderabad International Airport. On an average Hyderabad International Airport handles over 5,500 international departing passengers and 32 international flight departures daily, connecting to 29 global destinations.
The exclusive Interim International Departures Terminal facility is located close to the Haj Terminal facility, and is adjacent to the international pier of the main passenger terminal building. It can be accessed from both Srisailam and Shamshabad side through Rotary 1 leading to Haj Terminal and ATC tower.
GHIAL has launched an awareness campaign using its website, WhatsApp and SMS to inform the passengers about the change, along with a focused communication campaign on the Social Media with the tag #ShiftingInternationalDepartures.
