Land acquisition for the expansion of Calicut International Airport has run into rough weather with the State government allegedly showing a lackadaisical attitude towards the proposal submitted by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The AAI had earlier requested the government to acquire 248 acres for the expansion of the runway and the construction of a new terminal. Later, this was reduced to 135 acres so that the terrain would be filled to increase the runway from its existing length of 2,700 m. The AAI had also committed to fund ₹1,000 crore for the expansion.
Subsequently, the government had asked the district collectors of Malappuram and Kozhikode to identify hills in these districts for landfilling. Now, with ecologists attributing the recent floods and landslips in the districts to rampant quarrying, the project would not take off, an AAI official said.
An estimate showed that ₹1,000 crore would be required to extend the runway. Nearly 120 to 150 lakh cubic metres of mud would be needed for the expansion of the airport. With such a whopping amount, AAI engineers believe, a new modern airport could be constructed.
At least 15.25 acres are also required for setting up a multi-level parking facility in front of the domestic terminal building. The request is also pending with the government.
AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra was supposed to hold discussions with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Secretary Tom Jose in July. But this has been postponed indefinitely after the floods.
Immediate requirement
Calicut airport with its tabletop runway is located in 380 acres. What the airport immediately requires is an increase in the number of parking bays for aircraft. Currently, there are 13 parking bays, but in effect only 12 aircraft could be parked at a time. The operation of wide-bodied aircraft under Code E would complicate matters worse at the airport since the parking lots are designed in such a way that the parking of two Code E aircraft would reduce the bays to nine.
Already, the Director General of Civil Aviation has given approval for Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines), to operate Code E aircraft after the airline company submitted a safety and compatibility study. Its flights could possibly start operations next month. Air India has carried outs its study and the Dubai-based Emirates has also expressed its willingness to resume operations of its flights.
Many airline companies have sought permission for parking at night and Indigo wants to operate new schedules. Besides, the airport also needs to tackle the operation of unscheduled flights, sources said.