New Jaipur airport overcomes 150-km rule

New Delhi: A proposed airport near Jaipur could become the country’s first to come up within 150 km of an existing airport, and overcomes the government’s stated policy of not allowing more airports within 150 km of an existing airport.
The government has accorded ‘in-principle’ approval to Rajasthan Aviation Infrastructure (India) for setting up a greenfield airport at Viratnagar, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said in Parliament on March 12. The company received an in-principle approval from the government on February 15.
A steering committee, comprising representatives from the ministries of civil aviation, defence, home affairs, economic affairs and revenue, as well as those from the meteorological department, Airports Authority of India, directorate general of civil aviation, and the state governments, had approved the airport on May 28, 2009, after it got necessary approvals.
The government, in its greenfield airports policy unveiled in 2008, had said if an airport was proposed within 150 km of an existing facility, such cases would be examined on a case-to-case basis and the same would be considered by the steering committee.
The proposed airport is to come up at Viratnagar, 63 km from Jaipur and 167 km from the Delhi airport. It got the approval as the existing airport is constrained to expand, and is likely to be saturated by 2013-14. This is despite a new terminal it added recently.
The existing Jaipur airport is one of the fastest-growing in the country, and has recorded almost five-fold growth in passenger traffic in the last five years.
25/03/10 Ranju Sarkar/Business Standard

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Mar 2010, New Mar 2010