The local administration and the civil aviation ministry are stepping up efforts to expand the terminal’s capacity, with infrastructure upgrades expected to pave the way for more flight operations in the coming months.
Hindon’s key advantage remains its location in the heart of Ghaziabad. The terminal witnessed strong demand after Air India Express and later IndiGo launched services from the airport. While Air India Express has exited, IndiGo continues to operate flights to major cities. Officials expect additional services to be introduced in the second half of the year after the expansion is completed.
By August 15, the terminal building will be expanded by 700 square metres, creating additional space for passengers and flights. A key part of the expansion is an agreement with the defence ministry that will add 6,210 sq m of area for aircraft parking, increasing the number of parking bays from two to six.
The expansion is expected to largely resolve the parking bottleneck that has constrained flight operations at Hindon. “The terminal will be able to handle about 22 flights and over 500 passengers per hour (after the capacity addition),” said Chilaka Mahesh, director of Hindon civil terminal, speaking on the eve of Yatri Suvidha Diwas to be observed at the terminal on Monday.
The terminal had previously handled as many as 22 flights a day, but operations were often affected by congestion, delays and cancellations due to limited aircraft parking, reliance on IGI’s air traffic control and restrictions on operations after evening hours.
The addition of four parking bays leased from the Indian Air Force (IAF), which operates the Hindon air base, is expected to allow back-to-back flight operations even if an aircraft is grounded because of technical issues.Passengers could also benefit from longer operating hours. The civil aviation ministry has given in-principle approval for mixed flight timings, potentially allowing operations beyond the IAF’s existing dawn-to-dusk window. Hindon is expected either to establish its own air traffic control system or use the IAF’s ATC with retired IAF officials staffing operations.
A formal presentation on the expansion plan is scheduled for Tuesday before officials from the civil aviation and defence ministries.
Inside the terminal, the number of check-in counters will increase from nine to 12, while the vehicle kerb area will expand from 3.5 metres to 8 metres, easing passenger pick-up and drop-off congestion.
In the longer term, 14.8 acres have been earmarked for expansion. Consent has already been obtained for 6.8 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 70 crore, with land acquisition expected to begin shortly.
At present, Hindon operates eight flights to Varanasi, Navi Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata through IndiGo, and to Adampur, Kishangarh and Nanded through Star Air.
(With TOI inputs)