Calicut airport director K. Janardhanan has said that the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation is likely to continue its policy of disallowing wide-bodied aircraft at the airport on account of the short runway.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had suspended the operation of Code E aircraft at the Calicut International Airport following a directive from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “Passenger traffic fell by 18% during this period. Wide-bodied aircraft can be operated only with the expansion of the runway,” he said.
The airport has a tabletop runway with Takeoff Run Available (TORA) and Landing Distance Available (LDA) at 2,850 m. Hence, the operation of Code E aircraft would not be in compliance with the DCGA’s civil aviation requirements.
However, Mr. Janardhanan said air passengers from north Kerala, who had been experiencing air connectivity problems, especially to the Gulf nations, could heave a sigh of relief with the Calicut airport set to resume round-the-clock operations from March 1.
Since September 2015, the airport has remained closed for eight hours daily for runway strengthening and resurfacing works. The runway was closed from noon to 8 p.m., but the airport functioned with flights landing and taking off for the rest of the day. “We will carry out a review of the works next month. The first and second stages of works have been completed before time. The laying of the final phase of the runway got delayed for various reasons including strike by quarry workers, non-availability of bitumen and the monsoon,” Mr. Janardhanan said.
The total cost of the project has come up to ₹60 crore. Work on the new international air complex and other facilities at the cost of ₹120 crore was going on, he said.
The airport had been partially shut down for the runway work from May 1, 2015 to ensure the safety of flights. Boeing B-747 and B-777, Airbus A-330, and other wide-bodied aircraft under Code E including, Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines) and Emirates, were not allowed to operate.
The State government has given administrative sanction to acquire 485.3 acres of land for the expansion work. At least 240 acres of land was required for extending the runway to make the airport suitable for operation of Code E aircraft, officials said.
The decision not to allow wide-bodied aircraft had affected hundreds of Haj pilgrims. The Calicut airport had been the embarkation point for pilgrims in the State, but it was shifted to the Cochin International Airport two years ago.
