Kozhikode: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju made it clear here on Saturday that safety of passengers took priority over the demand to operate wide-bodied aircraft from Calicut International Airport with its present runway.
“I cannot stop or fly an aircraft. It is decided by the regulator (Directorate-General of Civil Aviation) after taking all aspects of safety into consideration. My ministry does not interfere in this,” he said at an interface organised by Malabar Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Raju pointed out that the Calicut Airport’s runway did not have the capacity to take the load of the wide-bodied aircraft. On these having been operated earlier, the Minister said some exemptions seemed to have been made and this had taken its toll on the runway.
“Over the last one year, the growth recorded at airports across the country had risen to 20 per cent. It had been around 4.5 per cent earlier. But, I learn that the growth at Calicut Airport had come down,” he said.
When speakers at the meet attributed this to steep fall in passenger and cargo volume because of shifting of flights to Nedumbassery, the Minister firmly said land had to be acquired first for runway expansion. Only then large aircraft could be operated. This put the ball in the State government’s court - that unless it acquired the land, Calicut Airport would not develop.
31/01/16 The Hindu
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“I cannot stop or fly an aircraft. It is decided by the regulator (Directorate-General of Civil Aviation) after taking all aspects of safety into consideration. My ministry does not interfere in this,” he said at an interface organised by Malabar Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Raju pointed out that the Calicut Airport’s runway did not have the capacity to take the load of the wide-bodied aircraft. On these having been operated earlier, the Minister said some exemptions seemed to have been made and this had taken its toll on the runway.
“Over the last one year, the growth recorded at airports across the country had risen to 20 per cent. It had been around 4.5 per cent earlier. But, I learn that the growth at Calicut Airport had come down,” he said.
When speakers at the meet attributed this to steep fall in passenger and cargo volume because of shifting of flights to Nedumbassery, the Minister firmly said land had to be acquired first for runway expansion. Only then large aircraft could be operated. This put the ball in the State government’s court - that unless it acquired the land, Calicut Airport would not develop.
31/01/16 The Hindu
