Calcutta will soon start building a new airport terminal with room for further expansion in the future. Metro presents some of its features

Key facts

Tagore theme

The designs on ceilings and floors are inspired by Tagore’s works.

The lighthouse

The air traffic control tower will look like a lighthouse, which will become Calcutta’s seen-from-the-sky signature

In & out

Passengers will depart from the first floor, and arrive on the ground floor. The floor area will be over seven times what it is now

Step by step

Check-in luggage will be centrally scanned — andnot by individual airlines

Sixteen gates fordomestic and ninefor internationalpassengers forsecurity check

Check-in counters will number 104, immigration counters 44 (22 each for arrival and departure)

There will be15 aerobridges andan equal numberof conveyor belts

What’s the project?

Terminal

Plan: The international anddomestic terminals will beintegrated to handle 20 million passengers a year, up from less than 5 million now

Cost: Rs 1617.51 crore

Secondary runway

Plan: To be extended to3,239m so that the A380, the world’s largest plane, can land

Cost: Rs 35 crore

Apron

Plan: 11 additional parking bays and taxiways

Cost: Rs 65 crore

Navigation

Plan: To link with a satellite-based system called Gagan

Cost: Rs 135 crore

Air traffic control

Plan: To build a new tower

Cost: Rs 50 crore

Rail link

Plan: To use the existing connection to link up with the Metro

Cost: Rs 40 crore

Who’s the architect?

The UK-based RMJM. Some of RMJM’s recent projects are the Beijing Olympics Convention Centre and the Scottish Parliament building

When will it be finished?

In 30 months from start of work