Indian Airports: Times Are A Changing

ET&T Staff - Mumbai

With existing airlines expanding their service routes and new ones trying to wriggle in, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is rushing to decongest crowded airports. While on one hand, the AAI has directed airlines to shift their base to smaller cities instead of putting pressure on Delhi and Mumbai alone, airports in other cities are being upgraded.

As a result, Sahara Airlines has accepted to relocate itself to Hyderabad and Jet Airways has agreed to move to Ahmedabad and set up a major base. Air Deccan will shift to Chennai and Kingfisher is advised to use Bangalore and will move as soon as the Bangalore International Airport comes up.

Among the infrastructure activities are more parking bays; Delhi (50), Mumbai (50), Chennai (26) and Kolkata (20); taxi tracks and parallel taxi-way projects; and a satellite navigation system for easy navigation. However, sources said that radar systems need immediate improvement. With some 500 planes taking off and landing in Mumbai every day and 450 in Delhi, and air traffic expected to grow at 20-25 per cent. Smooth traffic is definitely the need of the hour.

To this effect, Maharashtra has invited the US aircraft-maker Boeing to set up facilities for aircraft maintenance, modification and engineering design in the state. It has extended all assistance including infrastructure and fast-track clearance for any such project.

Vizag Expansions

Expansion work is also under way at the Vishakapatnam airport. Senior manager (Air-Traffic Control) and station-in-charge, T Purnachandra Rao, said, "A new integrated terminal building will come up at a cost of Rs 95 crore. It will have three aero-bridges, three escalators and four elevators apart from a visitors' gallery, conveyor belts, digital cafe, conference room, departure and arrival lounges, duty-free outlets, permanent customs and immigration counters and tourist information counters." The terminal is expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2007. It would also have an instrument landing system, apart from the normal night landing lighting mechanisms.

Rao also said that huge canopies on both the airfield and the city side were under construction to give shelter to passengers and visitors. Even the departure lounge would be expanded to accommodate more counters for private airlines.

Pune Outlook

While the existing airport at Lohegaon, Pune is facing acute space shortage, the one at Chakan is being upgraded with an investment of Rs 75 crore. Praful Patel, civil aviation minister of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MCCIA) has also set a 2005-end deadline for launching international flights from Chakan. This is one of the four greenfield projects identified by the AAI. Patel said that talks were on with the IAF authorities for both expansion and upgradation of Pune airport and for permitting international flights. Potential destinations included Dubai, Singapore, Sharjah, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Bhopal, Indore Story

Madhya Pradesh will now see two new airports at Bhopal and Indore with an investment of Rs 50 crore each. Various chambers of commerce and industry and industrialists like Azim Premji demanded that the state government establish more connectivity, cargo flight facility and international airports.