Interim International Departures terminal at Hyderabad from 23rd October

The GMR Hyderabad International Airport will commence operations from its Interim International Departures terminal (IIDT) effective 23^rd of October. The airport which has been growing at breakneck speed, thanks to availability of slots at Hyderabad and unavailability of slots at other major airports, is hoping to reduce congestion of the check-in area at its existing terminal area.

The airport has built a concourse only for passengers flying out on International flights. This interim measure is in place as the airport is expanding its existing terminal to handle more than double the present capacity.

Starting 23^rd October, all international airlines will shift their departure flights to the new IIDT. The new terminal has been built in six months and is next to the Haj Terminal. To tide over the limited space, GMR has equipped the terminal with India’s first remote hand baggage screening, automatic tray retrieval system for faster security screening. The system is expected to offer up to double the throughput at security checkpoints.

The terminal was inaugurated on 10^th of October by Mr R N Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). This exclusive concourse will handle check-in, security, immigration and customs processes for departing international fliers. The IIDT is connected to the existing terminal and passengers will move into the main Terminal Building using elevators and escalators. The passenger amenities like food & beverages, retail and shopping areas will continue to be in the main passenger terminal building. The will not be any change in the location of lounge as well.

IITD has a dedicated zone for “Premium Check-in” for First/Business Class passengers for personalized and assisted check-in process, along with dedicated immigration and security counters to service the First/Business class passengers.

International arrivals will continue to be at the main passenger terminal building. Currently 22 airlines operate international flights from Hyderabad and on an average the airport handles 5000+ international passengers and 32 international flight departures daily.

The reduced load in the main passenger terminal building will help ease the congestion at check-in counters. While most of the international departures are post 2200 hours, the check-in window for international flights means that the check-in counters occupy space which could be utilized for peak domestic flights. Hyderabad is also seeing continuous growth in domestic operations by all airlines and a spate of red eye flights.

The breather which the operator would get will be useful to expand the terminal capacity which is under progress currently.