The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has finished the tender process for a massive infrastructural expansion of the Bagdogra Airport, for which work will commence soon.

Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Union civil aviation minister, has sent a letter to Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, on how the Centre was all set to initiate the construction work to expand the airport that has been a longstanding demand of north Bengal residents.

“A new civil enclave will come up at the airport for which a sum of ₹1,549 crore would be spent. It will have a terminal building spread over an area of 70,390 square metres that can handle around 3,000 passengers during peak hours and around 10 million passengers in a year,” says the letter.

As of now, every day, around 7,000 passengers travel through Bagdogra while there are 54 to 60 flight movements.

It is the second largest airport in Bengal after Calcutta and caters to the population of north Bengal, along with the neighbouring states of Bihar and Sikkim.

“The civil aviation ministry, the finance ministry and the Union Cabinet have approved the plan to expand Bagdogra. It is a major development for the region,” said Bista, who is also the chairman of the airport’s advisory committee.

As per the plan, aprons, with 10 parking bays for aircraft, two linked taxiways and a multi-level car parking facility will also be built at Bagdogra.

“The tendering process has been done. Also, the environment clearance has been obtained from necessary quarters. A portion of the construction work would be finished in another one-and-half-years,” said a source.

Those associated with the tourism industry have welcomed the initiative.

Every day, there is a chock-a-block situation at the airport, right from the morning, especially in the afternoon when most of the flights arrive and depart.

“Although the security hold area has been increased, the existing terminal building is inadequate to handle the situation. The new project would create more space for passengers and will ease their movement at the airport,” said Santanu Choudhury, who runs a travel house in Siliguri.

He pointed out that a few weeks back, the Digi Yatra facility was introduced at the entry point, which has eased the entry of passengers to some extent.

“Another major problem is the paucity in the parking space. The multi-level parking space would largely help in parking vehicles and will reduce the inconvenience of passengers,” he added.

Along with Bagdogra, the Centre has taken up another major project — the redevelopment of New Jalpaiguri railway station into a world-class station.

A sum of around ₹400 crore would be spent on the New Jalpaiguri project.

“The work is in progress in full swing. Most of the construction work is likely to end by 2025,” said a source.