Guwahati airport's new terminal upgrade gains pace as October deadline looms
Inter-departmental coordination will be crucial for seamless execution, says Chief Secy after review meeting
Chief Secretary Ravi Kota during the high-level review meeting, on Monday. (Photo:@CSAssam_/X)
Guwahati, May 19: The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati, operated by the Adani Group, is gearing up to shift operations to its new terminal by October this year, with construction and supporting infrastructure work advancing at a rapid pace.
At a high-level review meeting on Monday, Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota directed all concerned departments — including Public Works (Roads), Water Resources and Guwahati International Airport Ltd (GIAL) — to strictly adhere to the October deadline and ensure seamless inter-departmental coordination.
“All concerned departments have been instructed to accelerate ongoing works and adhere to an aggressive completion timeline by October. Inter-departmental coordination will be crucial for seamless execution,” Kota said in a post on social media.
He added that various works related to roadways, service lanes, street lighting, drainage and utility logistics must be prioritised.
“Roads, service lanes, street lighting, clearing of encroachments, drainage-related obstructions and other utility logistics must be addressed on priority,” he said.
Work along the key stretches — including Dharapur, Garal, SOS Village and VIP Junctions — is to be expedited, he said, adding that beautification elements like landscaping, signage and labelling will also be undertaken in parallel.
“A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is set to be signed between the Assam PWD and Adani Airport Holdings Limited to facilitate the final phases of the project,” Kota’s post read.
Earlier in February, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced that once operational, the new terminal would boost LGBI Airport’s annual passenger handling capacity to 13 million — nearly four times its current capacity.
“We are hopeful of inaugurating the third part of the new terminal around September–October,” the Chief Minister had said, ahead of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit, noting the airport's transformation into a major regional gateway.
The new terminal was initially being developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) before the airport’s management was handed over to the Gujarat-based Adani Group in October 2021.