The government of Rajasthan has requested the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to build a separate terminal in the form of an annex that is a building joined to or associated with the main building, providing additional space or accommodation at the Jaipur Airport for VIP movement. The airport authority of India or AAI under the ministry of civil aviation Is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India.
At present, the state aircraft carrying VIP’s including the Chief Minister and the governor is operated from the state hangar. A state hangar is a large building with an extensive floor area, typically for housing aircraft.
There is a state hangar but it’s too small. According to the airport director JS Balhara as per the requirement of the state government, AAI has offered 2.5 Acre of land for the proposed annex, but the government is yet to respond.
According to the officials of the Airport Authority of India, the VVIP’s need a separate entry and exit to ensure their security. This is not a special case to Jaipur but there are similar arrangements at some other state capitals too which include Lucknow. This separate entry and exit prevent regular travelers from the inconvenience caused by the delay due to security protocols.
The Airport Authority of India has also demanded an additional land in exchange. They are in talks with the government for allocation of 14 acres of land to expand the facilities at the airport.
This proposal of building an annex for VIP movement at the airport is at a preliminary stage. No cost estimate has been done so far. Currently, the state government will bear the expenses for the building up of an annex.
At present, the aircraft carrying VIP’s and other passengers are being operated from terminal 2 of the Jaipur airport.
