Ahmedabad: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport is set to get a new air traffic control (ATC) tower rising over 93 metres, making it India’s second tallest after the 103-metre tower at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport, sources familiar with the project said. The land allocation and building design have received approvals from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the ministry, the sources said. A parcel has been identified behind the existing AAI office for the proposed tower. Mumbai airport’s 84-metre ATC tower is currently the country’s second tallest. Beyond its height, the Ahmedabad tower is being planned with a distinctive cultural design. According to the proposed concept, the structure is designed like a woman’s hand reaching skywards, complete with bangles, while its base is envisioned as a ghaghra-like form reflecting local folk attire and Gujarat’s cultural heritage, the sources said. The tower is part of the SVPI airport’s 2030 Development Plan, a broader overhaul that includes a new integrated terminal and expansion of Terminal 1 on both sides to handle rising passenger volumes.In its submissions to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), the airport operator stated that the existing ATC block and tower lie within the footprint of the future integrated terminal expansion and are therefore planned to be relocated to the AAI Colony area. With the new tower coming up, the current ATC tower is expected to be decommissioned and dismantled over the longer term to clear space for the expanded terminal footprint, sources said.
