The Hindu Business Line : AAI to expand airport runways in TN

THE Airport Authority of India's (AAI) National Airports Division has geared up strengthening the infrastructure in Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchi airports aimed at enabling these airports to take on higher capacity aircraft and provide enhanced passenger amenities.

The AAI which has already unrolled the land acquisition process in these three airports for run-way extension is close to drafting the engineering plan for the run-way extension for the Tiruchi airport where the acquisition of 42 acres land required has been completed, said Mr S.K. Saraswati, regional executive director, AAI (NAD), Chennai.

As for the Coimbatore airport, the preliminaries including survey and assessment of lands to be acquired were completed and based on this, the Tamil Nadu Government has submitted the cost estimates for the land acquisition to the AAI.

The estimated cost is put at Rs 26 crore. The total land billed for acquisition for the runway expansion for Coimbatore airport will be 114.9 acres. The estimates would be placed before the AAI's board, according to Mr Saraswati.

The regional executive director was here to participate in the presentation of the ISO quality certification awarded to the Coimbatore airport on Sunday.

The Coimbatore District Collector, Mr Muruganandham, who was also present, said the proposed land acquisition for the Coimbatore airport was progressing well and on schedule. He hoped that at this phase of work, the State Government would be able to complete the handing over of the land to the AAI in about six months time.

(The current land acquisition for Coimbatore is to facilitate extending the length of the existing runway from the present 7500 ft to 9000 ft. In the case of Tiruchi and Madurai airports, the additional land acquisition is to extend the runway from the present 6,000 ft to 7,500 ft so as to render these airports handle wide-bodied aircraft.

Later talking to Business Line, the AAI regional executive director said that as part of the measures to increase the airport safety and passenger amenities in these airports, the AAI is set to install the instrument landing system and the radio navigation facility with a new doppler VOR for Madurai airport.

In Tiruchi, the passenger terminal building would be remodelled and passenger canopy would be extended both the city-side and air-side.

The AAI is also in the process of installing new generation security screening equipment such as X-ray baggage machines and door-frame metal detectors to make security frisking more `passenger-friendly' in these southern airports.

As for the Coimbatore airport, Mr Saraswati said the shift towards providing a new terminal management for enhanced passenger amenities being attempted by the AAI would soon bring a `cyber café' in the Peelamedu airport for which a contract has been awarded.

The feedback from the passengers travelling through Coimbatore airport being collected through outside agencies has pointed to the need for centralised air-conditioning of the airport covering passenger lounge.

Since the present airport building was not designed for a centralised air-conditioning, the AAI is working out on systems to meet the passenger aspirations.

Along with the runway extension in Coimbatore, it has been proposed to re-carpet the existing runway that will also be subjected to `profile' correction and also install new approach lighting system.

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