Navy awaits nod to use Kolkata airfield

Kolkata: The Indian Navy is awaiting a final nod from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to use an airfield in Kolkata to operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance of the maritime border with Bangladesh, a naval officer said Friday.
The naval officer said the AAI had earlier given an in-principle approval for using the 15 acres of land at the 210-acre airfield at Behala, located to the southwest of the city.
“The AAI has given in-principle approval to the navy for using 15 acres of land of the Behala airfield. We are waiting for the final approval. Unless the land is leased out to us, we cannot set up infrastructure there,” Commodore Brian A. Thomas, naval officer-in-charge, West Bengal, told reporters here.
“The MOD (ministry of defence) has now approached the civil aviation ministry. And the AAI has to give the final approval on paper…this is a matter of paper work now,” he said.
02/12/11 IANS/nvo news

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Categories: airports Dec 2011