AAI to focus on development of smaller airports

Chennai, Mar 21: Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced today, it will focus on development of smaller airports in Tamil Nadu, particularly Tier-II cities, in view of heavy air traffic congestion in Chennai airport.

AAI Regional Executive Director (Southern Region) K Ramalingam told reporters here that smaller airports such as Tuticorin, Salem, Vellore and Pondicherry would be given a face lift soon.

Air Deccan would commence its services to Tuticorin from April one, for which AAI had completed all mandatory requirements. Salem airport was also ready but AAI was awaiting response from airlines.

Mr Ramalingam said AAI had given 50 per cent concession for aircraft parking in smaller airports between 2200 hrs and 0600 hrs.

Stating there was a lot of potential to start flying schools in smaller airports, he said AAI was considering such proposals from entrepreneurs in Pondicherry, Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai and Tuticorin. It was also possible to form a civil enclave at the defence airfield in Uchipulli near Ramanathapuram to cater to tourists from Madurai.

The AAI would also set up an aircraft maintenance workshop, probably in Pondicherry, he said and added that the Pondicherry Government had signed an MoU with Jagson Airlines for operating flights between Pondicherry-Chennai and Pondicherry-Bangalore.

Mr Ramalingam said AAI had taken up development work in Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Coimbatore airports to the tune of several crores.

In Coimbatore, where traffic growth was encouraging, development activity like extension of runway and isolation bay had been taken up at a cost of Rs 9.73 crore. Work would be completed by the month end.

Mr Ramalingam said AAI had invested Rs 11 crore on extension of runway from 6,000 ft to 7,500 ft and parking bay from two to four aircraft in Madurai airport, besides a new fire station and isolation bay to handle emergencies. AAI would shortly finalise a tender to build a new terminal building to handle international operations.

In Tiruchirapalli, a sum of Rs 9.14 crore would be spent for strengthening and extending the runway, building an isolation bay and a fire station, which would be completed by June 2006.

A new terminal building would also be in place there, where traffic was mostly international, at a cost of Rs 75 crore.

He said aircraft movement in Chennai Airport had registered 6.4 per cent growth from April to December 2005 compared to corresponding period last year. While Coimbatore recorded growth of 16.7 per cent, Tiruchirapalli registered 15.4 per cent and Madurai 0.7 per cent.

Growth rate in passenger movement was 15.1 per cent in Chennai, 34.4 in Coimbatore, 12.2 in Tiruchirapalli and 9.5 in Madurai.

Apart from Chennai Airport, Coimbatore was the only profit-making airport in Tamil Nadu. Tiruchirapalli and Madurai were making losses at present. AAI was hoping to break even in the next one year.

UNI