Eclectic Northeast – July 2019

36 │ │ July 2019

special story

T

he Lokpriya Gopinath

Bordoloi International

(LGBI) Airport in Guwahati,

formerly known as Borjhar

Airport, is one of the busiest

airports in the region. Over the

years, it has witnessed tremendous

increase in traffic, which took a toll

on the limited staff and services

being offered. Even after achieving

‘international’ status, the facilities

remained more or less the same.

For the longest time, passengers

had to join slow-moving, lengthy

Manjum Mahanta

Efforts are ongoing to enhance the experience of passengers passing

through Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport

The New Face of Guwahati Airport

queues to get their baggage

checked or get through security

checks. But over the last couple

of months, the lines have reduced

and more facilities have popped

up, much to the delight of regular

travellers. This is all because of the

remodelling being done, as part of

the National Civil Aviation Policy,

2016.

It is important to note that the

airport witnessed a total footfall of

5.7 million passenger and 55,066

aircraft movements in 2018-2019.

With the focus on the ASEAN

nations and South Asian link to the

region, international connectivity

is unavoidable, which would

irrefutably add to that number.

Presently, the total capacity of the

airport is being handled by the

single operational terminal for

passengers and cargo transport.

After the recent privatisation, a

new Integrated Terminal Building

at a cost of `1,232 crore is being

constructed. Indra Mohan, PRO

of LGBI Airport, informed, ‘The