Leh airport to expand passenger handling capacity fourfold amid rising tourist footfall

Leh (Ladakh) [India], November 13 : Situated in the Himalayas at an altitude of over 10,000 feet, Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh connects Ladakh with the rest of the country. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to scale up the passenger handling capacity of the airport amid rising tourist footfall in the territory.
"The current terminal building which is in an area of 4,500 square meters will be expanded to 19,000 square meters. It will have three aerobridges. It will be equipped with all modern facilities and will be able to handle 2.5 million (25 lakh) passengers annually against the current capacity of 0.8 million (8 lakh) passengers," Sonam Nurboo, Director of Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh said.
A modern terminal building and an apron will be added to the current airport infrastructure at a cost of Rs 480 crores. It will be equipped with world-class facilities and the new terminal of Leh airport is expected to be ready by the end of 2022.
Leh airport has been handling flight operations efficiently amid the fight against COVID-19.
The airport ensured that no infected passenger hops on the flight or goes unchecked in the city and thermal screening was conducted for all the passengers. Passengers were also appreciative of the efforts made by the airport authorities to keep Coronavirus at bay.
"According to safety protocol, they did their best. They gave sanitisers and face shields to all. They also followed social distancing and other rules. It is quite good," Nihal, a tourist said.