Airport project may be delayed further

Airport project may be delayed further
TIMES NEWS NETWORK - M L Kapur

(photo source: AAI)
23 Nov, 2006 2357hrs IST

HUBLI: The Hubli airport expansion project has taken a new turn with the state government directing the district administration to submit two fresh proposals envisaging it as a national and international facility.

This may further delay the expansion of the airport as the state government has all along been pushing to upgrade it as a night landing compliant allweather national airport capable of handling big aircraft like Airbus A-320.

As per the revised master plan for expansion of the airport prepared by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in September, 446 acres of additional land is required to upgrade it as a national airport.

At present, it can take only up to 50-seater aircraft. Now, the district administration has been asked to submit two proposals to the infrastructure development department — one for 446 acres and another for 650 acres of additional land to develop it as national or international airport depending on the final decision.

This emerged at a high-level meeting convened in Bangalore on Wednesday by infrastructure development minister B Sriramulu.

Revenue and district incharge minister Jagadish Shettar, Dharwad deputy commissioner M S Shrikar and AAI officials attended.

It was felt that once 446 acres of land is acquired and the airport developed to handle bigger aircraft, there will be a problem to acquire additional 204 acres land later on if the government wants to upgrade it as an international airport.

The deputy commissioner has been asked to submit the proposals to the government within a week. He was also asked to work out details for land acquisition in consultations with the 100-odd families affected by the project.

Shrikar said in fact AAI had submitted both the plans in September itself. However, he clarified that in both the cases the number of houses affected was the same as the additional land for international airport proposal was agricultural land towards the bypass.

Meanwhile, though night landing facilities for 50-seater aircraft have been provided at the airport, so far no airline has come forward to start night services from Hubli to Bangalore or Mumbai.

Recently, Air Deccan extended its Mumbai-Belgaum service up to Hubli, which will fly nonstop to Mumbai on its return trip.

But it still remains to be seen whether there is enough traffic to sustain the new service. Kingfisher Airlines also plans to start one service in the morning from Bangalore to Hubli and back.

Another service will be from Bangalore to Delhi, which will stop at Hubli on the return trip in the evening to take Bangalore-bound passengers.