Vadodara’s old airport terminal let out for film shoot, wedding

Officials said the building, which is set to be demolished, is being put to use until the process of demolition is completed.

According to the director of Vadodara airport, Charan Singh, the decision to rent out four locations within the premises of the old terminal was taken as the AAI is waiting for the central government to process the proposal to demolish the structure, which is said to “come in the way” of the existing operational runway.

Singh told The Indian Express, “The design of the old terminal building was such that it came in the way of the operational area. A runway should have a surrounding area of 150 metres free from obstructions. Since the new terminal is operational, this building is all set to be demolished to free up the space. The proposal is pending before the headquarters, and it will take two years for the demolition to be completed. The building will be evaluated before the contract for the demolition is given to Metal Scrap Trading Corporation (MSTC ). Until then, we are putting the premises to use.”

Singh confirmed that the venue had witnessed three community events so far. “We have given out the premises for a garba event, a community event for the Sindhis as well as a film shoot, which was last week. We have received our first booking for a wedding in February 2019,” he added.

The airport authorities have fixed rates for the four venues. “The properties can be given out on rental basis either for a monthly fee or for single events. Outside the terminal building, for a space of 10,000 sqm, the rate is Rs 222/sqm per month. Inside the terminal building, the non-AC hall measures about 1,300 sqm and is Rs 780/sqm per month. We also have one open air property, which measures 1 lakh sqm, and another open venue of 10,000 sqm near the airport circle,” Singh said. For single events, the rent is calculated on pro-rata basis.

For Vadodara residents, the venues are a welcome option. Parshu Khimyani, a member of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission Baroda, which organised an event in the open airport lawn in February, said that accessibility of the venue as well as low rental made it a viable option.

“We were celebrating a Bhajan Sandhya to mark the centenary of our spiritual leader Sadhu Vaswani. We had 2,000 invitees and needed a stage. The open venue at the airport was close to the city area where the Sindhi community reside, as well as for guests from outside Vadodara. It was also cost effective,” Khimyani said.

The rental did not, however, appeal to some event managers. An event manager, who expressed interest in the proposal, said, “The venue is great in terms of space and rate. Its accessibility and privacy are a big plus point. However, it would be best to hire the venue for specific events rather than on monthly basis. It would be better if the authorities have an event manager to ensure marketing for the venue, especially with the wedding season coming up.”

Meanwhile, the new integrated terminal of the airport has been ranked number 1 in a national competition for professionals on structural steel design and construction. The airport terminal is also set to switch to solar energy for its everyday operations to save on electricity cost, Singh said. The airport has a solar plant with capacity of 675 KW, which will cut electricity cost for AAI up to Rs 60 lakh annually.