Airport parking space set for revamp

CHENNAI: Next time you head to the Chennai Airport, there’s a good chance that you’ll have some deja vu of entering a swanky mall.  After the term of the existing parking contractor runs out at midnight on March 31, the new company that has taken the contract is all set to revamp the space, confirmed officials. “The entry is expected to be realigned so that it is uniform at one point for both the terminals. This will most probably follow the toll booth-electronic card system that is seen in most malls today,” said airport director E P Hareendranathan.While this system could take some getting used to for regulars, it is expected to save a lot of time and cut back manual tariff collection, which is the existing system. As another official pointed out, “Long lines have always been a problem especially during peak hours when the airline traffic is maximum.” This system will cut back on the chaos, he added.Sources have also confirmed that the next contract would be taken up by Mumbai-based Garuda Aviation Services Ltd.  Officials from the company are also believed to have arrived at the airport, taken stock of the existing parking conditions and have begun alteration work.  Space behind the police station and a few other areas have reportedly been identified for this purpose. A high-ranking Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, “The existing parking space, which can accommodate 1,200 cars, will also be expanded such that 2,000 car parking bays will be available henceforth.” As per plan, this would be sectioned neatly such that premium, regular and taxi parking would have separate entry points for seamless traffic movement.The introduction of these new facilities couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as the inauguration of the new terminals at the airport, is imminent. It may also be recalled that there was a proposal for a multi-level car park at the domestic airport, floated in 2010, that has not seen fruition yet.  These new measures are the closest the airport will get to effective parking handling as air traffic is expected to grow this year.