The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has approved the extension of taxiway being built at Mangaluru International Airport to 2,400 metres.
A 1,200-metre-long additional taxiway is being built at the airport since August 2014. A press release issued by JT Radhakrishna, Airport Director, said the work is expected to be completed in the next two months.
Now the board of AAI has approved to extend the taxiway further by another 1,200 metres to make it 2,400 metres long.
The cost of the first phase of 1,200 metres is ₹40 crore. The second phase of another 1,200 metres will cost ₹106 crore as a 35-metre-deep valley has to be filled up.
Radhakrishna said the bids for the second phase are likely to be called in October. The work, scheduled to begin next January or February, is likely to be completed in a year after that.
The additional taxiway helps the aircraft save time in the entry and exit from apron to the runway. As of now, aircraft that are ready to take off have to wait for 10-15 minutes if their departure timings clashed with a flight that is scheduled to land.
With the construction of the additional taxiway, aircraft could move from the apron, wait in the additional taxiway, and enter the runway for takeoff immediately after the aircraft that has landed exits the runway.
He said that the additional taxiway helps in the long run when the number of flights increases at the airport. At present, 48 aircraft movements take place in a day at Mangaluru Airport.
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