Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday remotely lay the foundation stone for the first phase of the work on the Bagdogra airport's new terminal, meeting a longstanding demand of the residents of north Bengal and the neighbouring states of Bihar and Sikkim.

Located 14km from here, Bagdogra has the second largest airport in Bengal. The airport also caters for neighbouring countries of Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

“On Sunday, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the new terminal building in virtual mode. It is a major development as the airport plays a crucial role in air connectivity of this region,” Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, said on Friday.

In Bagdogra, flight movements and the number of passengers tripled in the past decade, especially after 2013 when chief minister Mamata Banerjee waived the cess on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).

The airport handles around 8,000 to 10,000 passengers and 60 flight movements a day.

Although the number of flights and passengers has increased, the terminal building and the allied infrastructure have not expanded much, thus causing a choc-a-bloc situation at the airport every day.

This led to the demand to augment the infrastructure and eventually, the Centre sanctioned ₹3,000 crore for the expansion of the airport.

The state government provided around 100 acres of land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the project.

“I have always aspired to see Bagdogra developing into an international airport and hope after this project is implemented, it will gain such a status in due course. Once the foundation stone is laid, the work of the first phase will commence,” Bista, who is also the chairman of the airport's advisory committee, said.

In the first phase, a new terminal of 70,390 square metres will come up. It will be able to accommodate around 3,000 passengers during peak hours, with an annual capacity to handle 10 million passengers.

The current terminal has around 8,000 square metres.

“There is also a plan to add another 50,000 square metres of area to the building in the future,” said a source.

Added to it, 10 parking bays for A321 aircraft, two link taxiways and multi-level parking will be developed in the first phase.

Also, 10 aerobridges — six of which will be built in the first phase – will be installed at the airport.

“The new terminal will be a green building where renewable energy would be utilised, along with natural light,” the source said.

Representatives of the tourism industry and the business fraternity welcomed the Centre's decision.

“We hope the new terminal and the ancillary infrastructure will become operational fast. It will increase the movement of people via Bagdogra. The airport with the new infrastructure will also boost the economy of this region,” said Debasish Chakraborty, the general secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators' Association.