Surat, March 20 (IANS) Gujarat’s Surat International Airport, on Friday, introduced dedicated laptop workstations for passengers, aiming to improve productivity for business travellers, who frequently face waiting time before departures.

The city, a major centre for the diamond and textile industries, sees a high volume of corporate travel.

In response, the state government led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, has focused on making the airport more business-friendly with upgraded facilities.

The newly installed workstations, equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi and privacy-enabled seating, are available in both domestic and international terminals.

Airport officials said the initiative is intended to allow passengers to complete office work such as emails and presentations while waiting for their flights.

Vasu, a traveller, said, “The facility is really well. My flight generally gets delayed by 30–45 minutes and I reach early. I wanted to sit at a place to work on my laptop dedicatedly. Generally one won’t find such a place, but here we have one.”

Another passenger, Jagmohan Gupta, said, “We always want to find a place to work peacefully. On weekdays, we have office meetings and other work, but this place is really good for productivity.”

In addition to business-focused amenities, the airport has expanded passenger comfort facilities.

Affordable food and beverages are available at the ‘Udaan Yatri Cafe’, and a dedicated play area has been set up for children.

Bhumi, a traveller, said, “When the flight gets delayed, we can come here with our children to spend some time. They can play here without any problem. Rides and other things are present for children’s enjoyment.”

Airport Director Anand Sharma said the initiative was designed to make better use of passengers’ waiting time.

“In order to serve corporate travellers, if a passenger is waiting inside the security hold area, we don’t want their time to get wasted. We aimed for laptop workstations. We have established two laptop workstations in both domestic and international areas so they can fulfil their needs and become productive rather than wasting their time,” he added.

The development is part of broader upgrades under the ‘Digital India’ initiative, including the implementation of ‘DigiYatra’ and the installation of five new mobile charging stations.

Under the ‘One Airport, One Product’ scheme, Surat’s Zardozi silk has also been given space within the airport to promote local products.

Officials said these measures are aimed at transforming the airport into a business-friendly and passenger-oriented hub with modern facilities.

–IANS

mys/khz