The Karaikal Chamber of Commerce has urged the Puducherry government and the Centre to expedite the establishment of a greenfield airport in the union territory.
In representations it has made to the governments, the Chamber has stated that the proposed airport will be a vital cog for tourism in the region and industrial development within the union territory.
Touted to be the first airport in the country to be built entirely with private capital, the construction work of the project developed by Karaikal Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Super Airport Infrastructure Private Limited, is expected to be completed by June 2018.
The initial plan to acquire 562 acres for construction of a 1800-metre runway and a terminal building with capacity to handle 250 passengers at peak hours was scaled down to 1250 metres due to difficulties in land acquisition. So far, the KAPL has been able to acquire 350 acres. It is reportedly in talks with a couple of airlines to operate flights to and from Karaikal airport.
The company has understandably obtained all necessary clearances from regulatory agencies, including permission from the Civil Aviation Ministry and no-objection certificate from the Puducherry government. The Central Government's in-principle approval for development of airports at Karaikal and 12 other cities was granted two years back.
The scaled-down runway suitable for 19 to 30-seater aircrafts will still be enough for the operator to derive the utility of the Central Government's UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme envisaging connectivity to unserved and under-served airports of the country through revival of existing air-strips and airports, V. Anandan, president, Karaikal Chamber of Commerce, said.
The proposed airport is bound to be patronised overwhelmingly by air travellers since Thirunallar, Velankanni, Nagore and various temple towns including Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Thirumanancheri, Thirukadayur, Thirunallar and Point Calimere, and historic sites of Tranquebar, Poompuhar and Vedaranyam are all located within a 40-km radius, Mr. Anandan said.
The need for pilgrims to spend seven to eight hours on road travel from Chennai will be obviated, he said, adding that the Chamber has been emphasising on the demand for airport through a plethora of memorandum to the Puducherry and Central governments for a decade now.
There would be an abundant patronage for international destinations as there were a large number of people in the region whose family members were settled abroad, Mr. Anandan said.
