RAWALPINDI, Aug 19: The Rs68 million Islamabad International Airport renovation project for upgrading the facilities in the arrival lounges, improving passenger handling capacity and increasing the floor area has been completed, airport management said here on Monday.

The “new look” airport will be inaugurated on Tuesday by Civil Aviation Authority chairman Lt-Gen Hamid Nawaz Khan (retired), who is also the federal defence secretary.

The project, which started in May last year, has been completed in one year and three months. It was scheduled to be completed in October last year, but because of certain “impediments” it dragged on for 10 months.

Airport Manager Farooq Malik, while talking to this reporter, said the major problem faced by them in the completion of the project was that the airport remained operational throughout the period.

The post 9/11 scenario had also affected the pace of works as the renovation job remained suspended for some time because of the heightened security that required registration and security clearance of the workers.

The foreign engineers and workers, who were expected to install the conveyer belts, also cancelled their visit in view of the regional security situation. The installation was then done by the CAA staff.

The space of the domestic lounge has been increased from the 9,330 square feet to 21,232 square feet. The new arrangements, officials said, would help in handling passengers of two wide- body aircraft at the same time.

The international lounge floor area has been enhanced from 22,876 square feet to 30,530 square feet, besides a 40 per cent enhancement in passenger-handling capacity.

Four new endless conveyor belts — two each in domestic and international arrival lounges — have been laid “for smooth and speedy flow of baggage”.

The two arrival lounges are being annually used by 1.12 million passengers, coming to the federal capital from both inside and outside the country.

Under the project, the floor of the two lounges has been relaid with porcelain tiles. Other change enacted under this project includes the shifting of the lavatories, previously located in the centre of the concourse hall, to its farther end. The number of lavatories has also bee increased.

A special feature in the renovated wash rooms is of facilities for special people. Additional bathroom facilities, the officials said, had been provided in the car park to cater to the needs of the growing number of passengers and the people who came to see them off.

Airport management said ceiling and sign boards in the hall had also been changed. Mubairk Shah, senior public relations officer, said: “False ceiling has been replaced with fibre sheets, besides the colourful canopies. Indoor plants have also been placed in the lounges to further beautify them.”

In addition to the renovation of the arrival lounges, the CAA is spending Rs21.7 million on the renovation and extension of concourse hall of the Islamabad International Airport and improvement of its briefing area in the domestic departure lounge.