Hyderabad’s new international airport will be ready by year-end and become operational in March 2008, according to a report in the Economic Times.

Flight trials at the US$601 billion Rajiv Gandhi International Airport are due to begin in January and the fi rst commercial fl ight is scheduled to take off in March, a month before the opening of the new international airport in Bangalore, its main competitor.

The initial phase of the airport will be capable of handling 100,000 tonnes of cargo per annum against 45,000 tonnes handled by existing facility. The ultimate capacity of the new airport is over one million tonnes of cargo and 40 million passengers per annum. The 42 parking bays, cargo building, apron and fuel farm are also on schedule.