With Jammu and Kashmir emerging as a tourism magnet, the Modi government is planning a major upgrade for the Srinagar airport at a cost of nearly Rs 1,000 crore. The project will see a new passenger terminal
building come up, nearly three times the size of the current building, along with an extended apron that will be able to accommodate 15 aircraft in parking bays.
CNN-News18 has accessed a document of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that mentions these details. The existing passenger terminal building at Srinagar is spread across an area of 20,659 sqm. The new terminal building will be spread over 51,500 sqm, along with a 20,000 sqm basement. The airport currently has nine aircraft bays and will have 15 bays in the future. This will help meet the ever-increasing passenger traffic and demand at Srinagar airport, according to the document.
The Srinagar airport belongs to the Indian Air Force. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) maintains a civil enclave comprising the passenger terminal building, civil apron and allied infrastructure. The total existing land area of the civil enclave is 73.10 acres.
“Modification and expansion of the existing passenger terminal building and a multi-level car park and allied works is required to meet the growing traffic demand,” the document says while seeking project consultancy for the project.
The site of the new terminal building is adjacent to the existing terminal building at Srinagar airport. The existing terminal building has an area of 20,659 sqm, with a capacity to handle 950 passengers during peak hour (PHP). During 2024-25, the airport handled a total of 28,494 aircraft movements and annual passenger traffic of 4.47 million.
The new terminal building will serve a total of 2,900 passengers during peak hour, almost three times the current capacity. The massive upgrade is also being undertaken in view of the rapidly growing air traffic and demand for better passenger facilities.
“Adequate area is to be kept for retail and commercial outlets and airline offices to tap future potential at the airport,” the document says. The new terminal building will showcase the work of local artisans depicting local culture. The building will be carbon-neutral and GRIHA 5-compliant, with a green energy plan for the terminal building rooftop. Six-lane elevated roads for the departure and arrival terminals will also be constructed.
A multi-level car park for at least 1,000 cars, spread over 35,000 sqm, will also be constructed.
In 2025, Jammu and Kashmir recorded about 1.77 crore tourist arrivals, including around 36,410 foreign tourists.
