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Govt to modernise metro, non-metro airports
Apart from Delhi and Mumbai, the Government is contemplating to modernise other metro and non-metro airports in the country, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
Apart from Delhi and Mumbai, the Government is contemplating to modernise other metro airports and 35 non-metro airports in the country, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
The work on non-metro airports is proposed to be taken up and completed by 2010-11 at an estimated expenditure of Rs 4,662 crore, Minister of state for Civil Aviation Praful Patel said in a written reply.
To another question, he said the airports at Amritsar, Nagpur, Srinagar, Jaipur and Kozhikode have been declared as international airports in the last three years.
He said the Government has taken fresh initiatives to open up more airports in various cities.
Apart from the proposals for development of Greenfield airports at Hassan, Gulbarga and Gangtok, Airports Authority of India has taken initiatives during the last one year for operationalisation of the airports at Cooch Behar, Pantnagar, Akola, Gondia, Surat and Mysore on the demand of airlines.
On the development of aviation sector in Uttaranchal, Patel said, while AAI owns Dehradun and Pantnagar airports, which are being upgraded. Besides, Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd also plans to diversify/connect to important tourist places in the state such as Ghangharia, Hemkunt Sahib etc.
The state government had also requested AAI to examine suitability for upgrading of airports developed by them at Pithoragarh and Gauchar, but they were not found suitable for operation of 20/50-seater class of aircraft due to their location and surroundings, he said.
