Runway to be recarpeted and installed with centre lights at an estimated cost of ₹90 crore
Runway to be recarpeted and installed with centre lights at an estimated cost of ₹90 crore
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is gearing up for a massive overhaul of the tabletop runway at the Calicut International Airport by recarpeting it and installing centre lights, beginning January 15.
As such, the runway will be partially closed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for eight months. “However, we will ensure that the closure does not affect the operation of the airport. At least four international flights and a domestic flight to Delhi will be rescheduled. At present, a majority of flights are operated before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.,” Airport Director S. Suresh told The Hindu on Friday.
He said that bids for the project would be awarded next month. The estimated cost is between ₹80 and ₹90 crore.
Earlier, the runway had been partially shut for 15 months from June 1, 2015 for repair work. Subsequently, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had banned the operation of wide-bodied aircraft at the airport citing findings based on the Court of Inquiry report on the Air India Express Boeing 737 crash in Mangaluru in May 2010.
Again, the runway was partially closed for six months in two phases from January 15 to June 30, 2018 to facilitate the expansion of the Runway End Safety Area (RESA).
Mr. Suresh said the work would be done only for four hours. The remaining two hours each are either for fixing the runway for landing or take-off after 6 p.m. “Passengers will not face any difficulty because of the work,” he said.
He added that RESA expansion on both sides of the runway would be undertaken after the State government acquired land for the purpose. “Any plan to operate wide-bodied aircraft can be worked out only after the expansion of RESA,“ Mr. Suresh said.
After the expansion of RESA in 2018, the DGCA had given a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Saudi Arabian Airlines, Emirates, and Air India to operate wide-bodied aircraft. However, their operation was suspended after an Air India Express flight skidded off the runway and plunged into a gorge on August 7, 2020. The accident claimed the lives of 21 persons, including the pilots, and 78 others were seriously injured.
