New Bamboo Orchids Terminal in Guwahati to handle 13.1million passengers per year

Guwahati, Dec 11: With the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA)’s state-of-the-art Bamboo Orchids Terminal (T2) scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 20, the region’s aviation sector stands on the threshold of sweeping transformation by directly linking India’s Northeast to Southeast Asia.

This will position Assam’s capital Guwahati as the gateway for commerce, culture and connectivity and also mark a turning point for India’s Act East vision – transforming an aspiration into tangible connectivity.

“The Bamboo Orchids Terminal, with the capacity to manage 13.1 million passengers per annum (MPPA), will bring this ambition closer to the skies with enhanced air links to Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Bangladesh, etc., connecting Guwahati to key Asian gateways. Not just this, cargo connectivity will receive a fillip with both connectivity and state-of-the-art processing facilities,” official sources told The Assam Tribune.

When the Guwahati International Airport Limited (GIAL)-operated T2 becomes operational in the first quarter of next year, it will become the Northeast’s defining landmark – a space where culture meets connectivity and policy meets possibility.

The new routes are expected to extend beyond air travel by enabling the Northeast to participate more deeply in transnational economic flows.

Faster cargo and passenger connectivity will support Assam’s export ecosystem, from tea and agri-produce to handloom and floriculture, while drawing inbound tourism and investment from the ASEAN region.

“The existence of world-class infrastructure will offer people of the Northeast India the opportunity to explore new regions for tourism, trade and economic activity,” sources added.

Under India’s Act East Policy, the Northeast is envisioned as a corridor of trade and people-to-people engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional grouping of ten countries.

“LGBI Airport’s T2 is envisioned as more than an aviation hub. It is a strategic bridge that will link the Northeast’s entrepreneurial energy with Southeast Asia’s growth markets. For trade and commerce, it means quicker market access; for travellers, smoother routes into the Northeast’s eco-tourism circuits across Kaziranga, Majuli and Sualkuchi and neighbouring States such as Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland and a neighbouring country like Bhutan, known for its Gross Happiness Index,” sources said.

By unlocking this connectivity, LGBIA is catalyzing regional growth – placing Assam and its neighbours on the map of Asia’s emerging logistics and tourism networks.

The aesthetically-designed Bamboo Orchids Terminal draws from the natural and cultural wealth of Assam — its forests, rivers, and artistry. Bamboo, a motif of resilience and renewal, intertwines with the kopou phool’ (foxtail orchid), a flower of grace and celebration, while the gamosa and jaapi echo Assamese warmth and identity.

“This design philosophy embodies ‘design as diplomacy’ – architecture that speaks a universal language of openness. The terminal invites the world into the Northeast not just through routes, but through experience – turning local heritage into a statement of India’s soft power,” sources said.

“As Guwahati ascends as India’s eastern gateway, the Northeast ceases to be a periphery and becomes a pivot – connecting India to ASEAN through the shared skies of trade, tourism, and trust,” sources added.