AAI wants 65-acre govt land for new taxiway at Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: If everything goes as planned, the Sardar Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad will soon double its operation capacity.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is in the process of acquiring 65 acres of land towards Sardarnagar for a new taxiway.
V P Agarwal, chairman of the AAI, said the body has asked the state government to give them 65 acres of land, but the government is not willing to acquire the land and give it to the AAI.
The government has promised to give around 22 acres of its land free of zero cost to the AAI, but for the remaining land, which is to be acquired from Private parties, the government is demanding that the AAI pay the amount.
This, according to Agarwal, would mean that the AAI will have to allocate Rs 100 crore for acquiring the land from private parties and another Rs 50 crore for development of the taxiway.
A new taxiway will help the airport increase its landing and take off capacity. Currently, Ahmedabad can handle 12 aircraft an hour. But if this taxiway is developed, the capacity will double.
Tamil Nadu authorities have provided free land for taxiway, Agarwal said, and demanded that Gujarat should do the same. "Even in Porbandar, we were forced to buy land for expansion," he added.
10/01/11 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jan 2011