Cabinet gives nod for revamp of Kolkata,Chennai airports

New Delhi, August 14 : The Cabinet committee on economic affairs today cleared modernisation and expansion proposals of the Chennai and Kolkata airports, at an estimated cost of Rs 3,750 crore for which the work is likely to be completed within three years.

As desired by the state governments led by DMK in Tamil Nadu and the Left front in West Bengal, the entire modernisation would be undertaken by state-run Airports Authority of India. “The AAI can create these two airports into models and compete with the private sector to develop world-class airports. They can even compete in the international arena,” civil aviation minister Praful Patel told reporters here after the committee approved the projects.

While the Kolkata airport would be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,942.51 crore, the one at Chennai would cost Rs 1,808 crore. The Kolkata project would be completed in 30 months of the award of the contract and the one at Chennai within 26 months. The modernisation of the Chennai airport will result in an additional passengers handling capacity of 14 million per annum (mppa). A second runway will be extended and made suitable for operations of large commercial aircrafts. Additional parking space and taxiways to facilitate parking and movement of aircraft will also be created, a statement from the civil aviation ministry said.

The modernisation of the Kolkata airport will result in an additional passengers handling capacity of 20 mppa. Apart from extending the second runway, other work on the Kolkata airport will include upgradation of navigation facilities and additional parking space and taxiways. Road and rail connectivity of the airport with the city would be improved, the statement added.

The committee on infrastructure had in May last year decided that the Chennai Airport would be developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Public Investment Board approved the AAI’s proposal of the Chennai Airport on July 29. Located in approximately 1,152 acres with two runways of 3,658 m and 2,085 m, the Chennai Airport has witnessed a growth of 10.7 per cent per annum in international traffic and of 24.4 per cent per annum of domestic traffic over the last five years. The airport is already saturated in terms of the number of passengers passing through.

The Kolkata airport had international traffic of 1.01 million and domestic traffic of 6.45 million in 2007-08 and witnessed a 6.4 per cent growth in international traffic and 21.4 per...

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