Gateway to Tomorrow

30 Aug 2025 CW Team

Airports are not just built or constructed to exist – they are shaped with vision and crafted to endure. The new terminal building at Tuticorin Airport, developed at a cost of around Rs 4.5 billion, stands as a landmark of design, engineering and sustainability. Spread across 17,340 sq m, it is equipped to handle 1,350 passengers during peak hours and 20 lakh passengers annually, with an expansion capacity up to 1,800 passengers per peak hour and 25 lakh annually. With 100 per cent LED lighting, energy-efficient E&M systems and treated water reuse through an onsite sewage treatment plant (STP), the terminal is targeting a GRIHA-4 sustainability rating. For southern Tamil Nadu, this modern infrastructure promises enhanced air connectivity, tourism, trade and investment – a true milestone.

Building through challenges

The project was executed by KEC International under a turnkey design-and-build model. As Nagesh Veeturi, Executive Director - Civil, explains, “The project presented a unique set of engineering and logistic challenges. Expanding passenger capacity required significant structural upgrades, strengthening foundations and columns and installing over 500 mt of pre-engineered building (PEB) frames to create additional floor plates. We also replaced the HVAC system with higher-capacity chillers and upgraded airport and IT systems, which were entirely new domains for KEC.”

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Infrastructure Transport

22 Sep 2025

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