The financial bid for the civil construction of the new terminal building and allied infrastructure at the Bagdogra airport has been approved by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

After this, work is likely to begin soon at the airport.

Raju Bista, the Darjeeling MP, said on Monday that approval of the financial bid marked the end of almost all the formalities required before the construction.

“It is the busiest airport in our region (north Bengal). Now, it will have the much-needed infrastructure to handle both domestic and international passenger loads. We expect work to start soon,” he said.

In June last year, the Centre approved Rs 3,000 crore to expand infrastructure at Bagdogra airport.

The airport has a terminal building of around 8,000sqm and the capacity to handle around 400 passengers an hour. But as the number of flights and passengers has gone up, and the airport handles some 60 flights and 8,000-odd passengers every day, the terminal building and the arrival and departure areas are often congested.

The terminal building is set to have an area of 1 lakh sqm.

“In the first phase, around 50,000sqm will be built with the capacity to handle around 3,800 passengers in an hour. Once work starts, the first phase is expected to be ready in two-and-a-half years,” Bista, also the chairman of the airport’s advisory committee, said.

This apart, there will be a multi-level car park and 10 aerobridges. “Six aerobridges will be built in the first phase. The apron will have space to park 16 aircraft together,” said a source.

The expansion of the airport will encourage airlines to introduce more services at Bagdogra airport, said travel industry stakeholders.

The old demand to start flights to Dhaka and Kathmandu from Bagdogra will gain ground.

Political observers pointed out that as Lok Sabha polls were drawing near, the BJP was all set to play the infrastructure card to draw votes in north Bengal. During the past year, funds for Bagdogra airport, the New Jalpaiguri station and a four-lane highway connecting northwest and northeast of Siliguri have been allocated.

District Trinamul leaders said that the state played a key role in the airport expansion plans by giving over 100 acres of land to the AAI.