MPs from the State will meet Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, and officials in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in New Delhi on July 18 to seek resumption of the operation of wide-bodied aircraft at the Calicut International Airport.
This was decided at a meeting of the Airport Advisory Committee here on Tuesday. Sources quoting P.K. Kunhalikutty, MP, chairman of the committee, said the airport had fulfilled the technical requirements for the operation of wide-bodied aircraft and that the matter was now with the DGCA. The MPs were also of the opinion that once the services to Jeddah begins from the airport, Haj flights could also start from here.
The meeting also decided to set up a dedicated lounge for upper class passengers and a pre-paid taxi counter at the airport. Airport sources said that the complaints over vehicle parking would be sorted out soon. Steps would be taken to source water from the drinking water project at Cheekode.
Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI), will visit the airport on July 24 to examine if operation of wide-bodied flights from the airport is feasible.