Trichy airport gets 5 more aero bridges

Trichy: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has added five new air-conditioned passenger boarding bridges (PBBs) (or aero bridges) procured at Rs15 crore for the new integrated passenger terminal of Trichy international airport to improve passenger convenience and operationalize all gates. A senior official of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has inspected the new PBBs. Once approval comes through, the new bridges will add to the existing five, make it next only to Chennai in the state in having functional boarding bridges.At present, the new integrated terminal commissioned at Rs1,112 crores in June 2024 has five boarding bridges but provisions were there to accommodate 10. Trichy airport had posted its historical best in handling 2.2 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in both international and domestic passengers in the financial year 2025-26. With passenger footfall gradually increasing, AAI acknowledged the necessity for additional boarding bridges. It pursued an upgrade plan by adding one 44 metre-long boarding bridge, and four others 23 metres long each to connect the terminal gates directly to the aircraft. "We expect clearance in 10 days to commission the new bridges. Only very few non-metro airports across the country have 10 PBBs. They will greatly help passengers easily board an aircraft without using shuttle buses and towable stairs," S S Raju, Trichy airport director, told TOI.The air-conditioned bridges will ensure smooth and safe boarding of passengers, including persons with disabilities (PwD). The new bridges can be utilized for narrow and wide bodied aircraft. Besides improving passengers' satisfaction during adverse weather conditions, additional boarding bridges will allow quicker boarding and disembarking in aircraft, thereby reducing ground time of an aircraft, and maintaining punctuality. "As per the projections of the airport's passenger handling capacity, which is expected to reach 3 million per annum soon, 10 boarding bridges are essential. Passengers can now board any gate closer to the waiting area or lounges instead of moving with baggage to far placed gates," the airport director added.