Our correspondent
Imphal, July 6 (EMN): The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is planning to develop seven more airports including three greenfield airports and two water aerodromes in the Northeast region, said AAI senior official.
Currently 12 airports is operation in north-eastern states.
Speaking to this reporter on the sideline of the two-day conference-cum-international buyer seller meet which concluded recently in Imphal , Regional Executive Director Sanjeev Jindal said the water aerodromes will be developed at Brahmaputra and greenfield airports at Rupsi in Assam and Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh.
“We're also exploring another around Silchar,” he added.
The Rupsi Airport, located about 15 km from Dhubri town, in Assam was said to be constructed during by the British during World War II to supply arms, manpower and ammunition to the allied forces while Hollongi Airport located about 25 km from Itanagar will boast some state-of-art infrastructure.
The remaining two airports will be developed in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.
“We’re also exploring for more air connectivity in the region,” said Jindal.
“The process for the Imphal-Mandalay flight service has been started and we're waiting for bilateral agreement between the two countries,” he informed.
Jindal also said that the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport at Guwahati where 120 flights operate daily will be expanded with more facilities.
Similarly, he said Agartala, the third international airport in NE after Guwahati and Imphal will also be upgraded with new buildings within three years.
He also informed that without any additional land, Imphal airport will be developed with state of art infrastructure and cargo facilities.
The upcoming well equipped airport in Imphal will have its own system to harvest water for its daily use besides having its own waste management system.
The AAI which currently handles operations of 120 airports in India is also planning to fully utilise the free (unused) cargo space of 14 flights operating in and out from Imphal on a daily basis.
“These flights in Imphal utilises 7000 metric tonnes out of its current capacity of 12,000 metric tonnes in a year. So, utilising the remaining 5000 metric tonnes of cargo space will be a plus point for both customers and the operators,” he said.
He further infromed that the AAI is also planning to appraise the higher ups to review the cargo charges of some perishable items of Northeast to encourage trade.
