Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Large-scale reconstruction starts at Tashkent International Airport. According to the project, the area of the international airlines terminal will double, the entrance to the departure area will change, the arrival and departure halls will be combined into a single complex, and an open terrace will appear on the second floor.

Currently, the capacity of the international terminal of Tashkent Airport is 7 million passengers per year. This year it is planned to serve 6.8 million passengers through the capital’s air harbor. The implementation of the project to expand the international terminal will be carried out in the 2nd stage and will last until the end of 2025. Once completed, the airport’s capacity will increase to 13 million passengers per year.

First of all, an increase in space can be achieved by extending the facades of the arrival and departure buildings, as well as by combining them. The access system to the airport will also change: vehicles will approach the ground floor, and the overpass will become part of the building.

A new passport control area with 48 passenger passage channels will also appear in the arrivals area. The existing arrivals hall is also subject to reconstruction in terms of increasing from four to eight baggage carousels, which will allow serving a larger number of flights. It is important to note that this project provides a huge area for greeters - 6.2 thousand square meters, which will exceed the current arrival hall in size.

According to the project, a new passenger check-in area will be built in the departure hall, consisting of 50 check-in counters, an oversized baggage counter, self-service baggage drop-off counters, as well as a customs and baggage control area. The aviation security inspection area will also expand. The boarding waiting area will also increase - a storage area with 800 seats and a food court will be completed. An original solution for the Tashkent airport will be an open terrace with an area of almost 5 thousand square meters on the second floor of the departure area overlooking the city.

A new transition gallery will be built along the departure terminal, which will avoid the intersection of flows of arriving and departing passengers passing along the jet bridges. The number of “sleeves” will also increase, allowing passengers from the plane to enter the terminal building without going outside. Two additional telescopic bridges will be purchased. After reconstruction, 6 boarding bridges will function at the capital’s airport, and the number of gates will be 12.

An important stage of the reconstruction will be the modernization of the baggage handling system. With the installation of a new system, the airport will be able to track in real-time the movement of luggage of each passenger inside the airport complex, which will minimize losses and increase the timeliness of loading luggage onto the aircraft. Also, the construction of a new baggage sorting area and the installation of new baggage handling equipment will allow passengers of certain flights to undergo early check-in and baggage check-in 24 hours before the flight departure.