Watch: IndiGo Flight Welcomed With Water Salute At Tiruchirappalli Airport's New Terminal

An IndiGo flight arriving from Chennai was greeted with a traditional water salute at the newly inaugurated terminal of Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu. The special welcome video was shared by ANI on X (formerly Twitter). The new terminal, starting its operations on June 11, was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year in January. During the recent event, staff members of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) were reportedly stationed at the gate, extending warm welcomes to the passengers.

The new terminal is expected to enhance the airport’s capacity and bolster connectivity to various global destinations. The note attached to the video read, “IndiGo aircraft which arrived from Chennai gets a water cannon salute at the newly integrated terminal in Tiruchirappalli International Airport which goes operational today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this integrated terminal in January, this year.”

In response to the post, one user felt that the airport authorities wasted a lot of water, especially in such hot weather.

Another found the water cannon salute to be a unique and interesting way to welcome the aircraft.

An individual suggested using a flower cannon salute instead of water.

One more added that instead of following Western countries and wasting water, India could introduce its own traditional and environmentally friendly salute style.

The construction of the new terminal at Tiruchirappalli International Airport, which was made on a budget of Rs 1,112 Crore, began in February 2019, The Hindu reported. It is spread across 75,000 square metres, has two levels, which could easily accommodate over 4 million passengers every year. It has 60 check-in counters and 104 immigration counters, with 60 dedicated for arrivals and 44 for departures.

Interestingly, the terminal boasts a traditional design inspired by Kolam. Discussing the diverse designs, Rajavignesh, the creative director responsible for the artworks in the building, informed ANI, “We have done a lot of painting works, murals. A total of 100 artists were employed and we have finished the artworks in 30 days.”

Meanwhile, the first overseas flight operated by IndiGo arrived from Singapore at 6:40 AM. An hour later, the first domestic flight departed from the terminal for Bengaluru at 7:40 AM.