With the proposed second airport at Sriperumbudur remaining a non-starter, the civil aviation ministry is considering an abandoned airstrip at Sholavaram on the northern fringes of Chennai to decongest the airport at Meenambakkam.
The strategically located airstrip figures in the final list of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) which seeks to promote affordable regional air connectivity.
Nestled between the Puzhal reservoir and Sholavaram lake and located about 25km from the city, the airstrip is well connected by road. It is a few kilometres off GNT Road, a national highway, and is situated on Red Hills-Tiruvallur Road providing easy access to the western suburbs. The airstrip is in the vicinity of the upcoming Outer Ring Road linking Vandalur and Minjur.
The airstrip dates to the Second World War when it was used by Britain's Royal Air Force for anti-submarine operations. In the 1950s, the airstrip was used as a race track by motorsport enthusiasts; this continued till the 1980s. At present, it is under the control of the Indian Air Force.
Under RCS, the ministry of civil aviation plans to revive many such unused airstrips. If the Sholavaram facility is spruced up, it can decongested the Chennai airport by absorbing smaller aircraft like ATRs and Bombardiers which constitute around 20% of the total flight movement at Meenambakkam.
18/01/17 The Times Of India
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The strategically located airstrip figures in the final list of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) which seeks to promote affordable regional air connectivity.
Nestled between the Puzhal reservoir and Sholavaram lake and located about 25km from the city, the airstrip is well connected by road. It is a few kilometres off GNT Road, a national highway, and is situated on Red Hills-Tiruvallur Road providing easy access to the western suburbs. The airstrip is in the vicinity of the upcoming Outer Ring Road linking Vandalur and Minjur.
The airstrip dates to the Second World War when it was used by Britain's Royal Air Force for anti-submarine operations. In the 1950s, the airstrip was used as a race track by motorsport enthusiasts; this continued till the 1980s. At present, it is under the control of the Indian Air Force.
Under RCS, the ministry of civil aviation plans to revive many such unused airstrips. If the Sholavaram facility is spruced up, it can decongested the Chennai airport by absorbing smaller aircraft like ATRs and Bombardiers which constitute around 20% of the total flight movement at Meenambakkam.
18/01/17 The Times Of India
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