Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 16 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General V K Singh on Thursday directed officials to make maximum use of technology to enhance passenger comfort at airports.

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The minister, who is on a two-day visit to the state, reviewed the development works of Thiruvananthapuram Airport and urged authorities to make use of electric vehicles as much as possible at the airport to avoid pollution.

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Currently, 40 per cent of vehicles used in Thiruvananthapuram airport are electric, according to a government release.

"Outlets of women self-help groups should be provided like in Chennai airport. This will give more opportunity for women empowerment," the minister said.

A presentation on the details of the 'Mission 2028 Master Plan' formulated for the development of the airport was shown in the meeting, the release said. The master plan was prepared with the help of aviation consultancies from the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore.

"Currently, Thiruvananthapuram Airport is used by 4.5 million passengers annually. It will be 6.2 million in 2024-25. The master plan envisages an increase to 12.4 million by 2026-27," the release stated.

"With the acquisition of an additional 36 acres of land for airport development, the Thiruvananthapuram airport will reach its maximum capacity of 27 million passengers per year," it further said.

Chief Airport Officer M Darshan Singh, Regional Executive Director of the Airports Authority of India Sajeev G Panicker, CISF officials and others participated in the review meeting.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)