The Hindu Business Line : AAI to develop Puducherry airport for large aircraft

New Delhi, Nov. 7 Puducherry would soon be able to receive the larger ATR-72 variety of turbo prop aircraft with the board of Airports Authority of India (AAI) giving in-principle approval for strengthening of the runway at the airport to support airline operations with this variety of aircraft.

Official sources told Business Line that the decision to develop the airport for ATR operations was the first phase of the development programme for Pondicherry. “Depending on how the market response is, we could also look at developing the airport to handle the much larger aircraft that can carry up to 150 passengers,” sources added.

The State Government has already provided 50 acres for extension of the runway and the project is expected to cost Rs 24 crore. The project is expected to be completed within nine months from award of the contract. The expansion work, which would also see some modifications being made to the existing terminal building, would allow the airport to handle 75 passengers during the peak hour traffic.

At present no airline operates to the existing airport although it can handle Dornier variety of aircraft that can carry 20 passengers. Earlier, Jagson Airline used to have flights to Puducherry but the services have been withdrawn for more than a year now.

Sources indicated that there was potential to develop passenger air traffic from and to Puducherry as long as airlines look to connect cities other than Chennai. “Studies conducted by various agencies show that passenger potential exists for airlines looking to connect cities like Tiruchy, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore and others take more than 12 hours to reach by train,” sources said.