Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Coimbatore Airport expansion set for a major take off


The Coimbatore Airport is all set for a major take off as the preliminary notification has been issued for acquiring 629 acres for the construction of a new Rs. 800-crore integrated terminal.
The land acquisition would also facilitate the extension of the runway after which even bigger planes such as Boeing 747 would be able to land at Coimbatore, Airport Director K. Peter Abraham told The Hindu .
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had come to the view that this phase of expansion was likely to be the last for the Coimbatore Airport as land acquisition would not be possible in the future.
As such, the long-term needs had been factored in while designing the new integrated terminal which would be used for both domestic and international passengers.
Taking the future demand into account would help Coimbatore Airport avoid the problems faced by some of the other major airports in the country.
Air traffic in the country, he said, was poised for exponential growth now as the younger generation were more inclined to take to the skies.
“Once fully developed, this would be a quantum leap forward for the city and the entire region as it would impart a major boost for industrial and economic development. The extended runway could accommodate bigger cargo planes that could facilitate exports,” added Mr. Abraham.
Of the total land being acquired, he informed that around 500 acres belonged to civilians and the rest was defence land.
Payment
A final notification on the land acquisition was likely to be issued in another couple of months after which the payments would be disbursed to all the land owners. The AAI would begin to take possession of the land block by block and construction likely to commence soon thereafter. After the new terminal comes up, the L&T By-Pass Road, Tiruchi Road and the Avinashi Road would connect to a new 200 feet road that would lead to the terminal.

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