Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 21: The extension of the runway at the airport here, which the people of the coast were eagerly awaiting, is being assigned to back burner for the present, it is gathered. As per information, chief secretary of the state, Subhash Chandra Khuntia, has been conveyed this information by Airports Authority of India. The authority has put off the project for now, as it that it is not viable for the present.

Airports Authority of India, it is gathered, is dithering in the matter of extending the runway because of cost involved and practical difficulties faced in extending the runway because of uneven terrain and this being a table top airpot. It therefore plans to undertake measures to make optimum utilization of currently available infrastructure by increasing operations of aircrafts which can be operated from here.

There had been demand for longer runway to enable bigger aircrafts to land here. The current length of the runway here is 2,450 metres that is enough for aircrafts like Airbus 320 and 321 to land. But aircrafts with wider bodies like Boeing 777 and 747 are currently unable to fly to the airport here because they need longer runways. L&T, an infrastructure major, which was asked to prepare a report on the expansion of the runway, had submitted proposals to increase the length of the runway to 3,450 metres.

AAI chairman, Guruprasad Mohapatra, said in the letter that the current infrastructure at the airport along with proposed expansion of terminal building can serve 5.5 million passengers per annum and that as against the current capacity of 2 million passengers per year, the renewed upper limit is expected to be reached only by 2030.

The government however will go ahead with acquisition of additional 34 acres of land to cover runway end safety area at the instance of the directorate general of civil aviation, the chief secretary clarified.

Speaking to daijiworld, Mangaluru airport director V V Rao said the project is not viable. "The current Mangaluru airport is sufficient to handle 5 million passengers a year. As of now, we are handling 2 million passegers a year. The expansion of the runway spending Rs 12,000 crore is not required as of now. It depends on how many Dreamliners show their interest in this airport. There is no meaning to spending more than Rs 10,000 crore only for one or two Dreamliners. The current runway is catering to Airbus 320, 321 and Boeing 737. These Airbuses are not facing any problems. In future if more Dreamsliners show interest, we can think about the expansion."