International operations still two years away for UT airport

Chandigarh | Posted: January 11, 2015
Even after pumping hundreds of crores into the international terminal, the much-awaited international operations from Chandigarh are not likely to take off to full capacity any time soon. Reason: The Indian Air Force will take at least two more years to modernise the airport’s runway, essential for the full-scale operations.
The IAF manages the runway, which is used for civil operations by existing domestic terminal, but with several riders including limited watch hours and lack of advanced facilities like modern instrument landing system and provisions for smooth landing of wide-bodied aircraft.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) along with Punjab and Haryana had in 2008 initiated the construction of the international airport and have jointly spent more than Rs 1,100 crore for the terminal building in anticipation of making Chandigarh the next big international destination for aviation after Delhi. The new terminal, scheduled to be completed in next six months, cannot be put to full use since it will have the same undeveloped runway at its disposal.
The IAF, in its reply to a Sunday Newsline questionnaire, revealed that the runway will not be fully developed as per international norms before 2017. The IAF also said that to facilitate wide-bodied aircraft, that most international airlines rely on, the runway  needed to expanded from the current length of 9,000 ft to 10,400 ft but the work was expected to be completed only by December 2016. A senior AAI official in Chandigarh said that unless the airport is prepared to handle wide-bodied aircraft, then at best, Chandigarh will be connected to nearby destinations including Bangkok, Colombo or Dubai where mid-sized aircraft can be plied.

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