Admn seeks deadline from AAI

Srishti-Ramky,a joint venture handling the project,had started construction in January 2008 and the deadline to finish the work was October 2009. The new deadline has been set for October 2010.

Airport Controller Sunil Dutt confirmed the report and said,“We are trying our best to speed up the construction work and hope to complete it by the new deadline. We have done everything to help passengers and the inconvenience faced by them is definitely regretted.”

Meanwhile,passengers continue to be a harassed lot. From reaching to the airport to actually checking in for flights is a mammoth task. According to airport records,nearly 2,000 passengers arrive or leave the city in a day. The present parking,however,has space to accommodate just around 300 cars.

Speaking to Newsline,Arun Kaushal said,“There is no one you can blame and everyone parks their car in a haphazard manner.” Shruti,another passenger,said,“One has to walk around 150 metres with luggage to actually enter the airport. Trolleys have been kept halfway to the entrance of the airport and it makes no sense to first get the trolley and then again go back with the luggage.” Though the airlines claimed they arrange cars for disabled passengers,there was not even a wheelchair in sight. Meanwhile,the parking can be extended further only after the Air Force releases its 2.5 acre land promised to the airport. The matter is lying pending with the ministry.

Lack of space in hangar delays flights

A slight change in flight schedule and there is complete chaos at the Chandigarh airport. Due to paucity of space at the airport hangar,flights which are slightly ahead of their schedule or delayed,have to bear the brunt.

Between 1 to 2 pm everyday,three flights arrive and depart the Chandigarh airport. However,even if one deviates from its schedule,there is confusion as the hangar has a capacity to accommodate only two aircrafts.

At 1.10 pm,a Kingfisher flight from Mumbai arrives at 1.10 pm while the Jet Airways flight reaches the city at 1:50 pm. Another Kingfisher flight leaves the city airport at 1.40 pm for Mumbai.

In case of a change in timings in even one flight,the others have to be held back or the plane keeps hovering in air till space is made to park it.

Sources claim that though it is not a frequent occurring,but if some flight gets delayed,there is a chaos in the hangar and there is no solution but to keep the flight waiting. Confirming the problem,Airport Controller Sunil Dutt said: “Such a situation occurs occasionally. Our expansion plans are on and the problem is expected to get resolved soon.”