AAI sees need for second airport at Chennai

New Delhi/Chennai: The Airports Authority of India is expected to shortly submit a detailed report to the Tamil Nadu Government for a greenfield airport at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.
It is convinced that the city needs a new airport and the report is expected to make out a case for this, and also include the cost of constructing the airport, according to sources.
“Depending on what the State Government decides, the airport can either be developed by the Airports Authority of India or by the private sector. If a decision is taken that AAI should take up the project, then, the State-owned airport operator is likely to go it alone for the first six-eight years, after which it may consider inducting a strategic partner,” a source said.
According to sources, despite the ongoing modernisation at the Chennai airport, the city will need a new airport in a few years.
“The existing airport has structural limitations which will allow only limited expansion to cater to growing traffic projections. Hence a second airport is necessary. It can be left to the airlines to decide which airport they would like to operate to,” a source said.
28/11/10 Ashwini Phadnis/N. Ramakrishnan/Business Line

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Categories: Airports Nov 2010, New Nov 2010