: As the construction work for the Kannur international airport is progressing at a hectic phase, work is also under way for the construction of the fuel farm of the airport by a joint venture company floated by Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), which has a stake in the project.
The work for constructing the fuel field began on December 22.
The work is being carried out by the joint venture BPCL-KIAL Fuel Farm Private Ltd. The 28,000-sq.m fuel farm will have underground tanks for aviation fuel storage. The Rs.17-crore fuel farm project will be completed by June next year, KIAL officials said. BPCL has Rs.170-crore stake in KIAL.
The KIAL officials said that the construction work at the airport project site is progressing at a hectic pace in view of the scheduled trial landing at the airport in January. Minister for Airports, Ports and Excise K. Babu has already announced that the trial landings will commence in January.
“The scheduled trial landing is our priority now,” said KIAL Chief Project Engineer K.P. Jose. He said that the work including the construction of the runway is progressing as planned.
The KIAL officials said that the work of the runway up to 2,400 metres will be completed for the trial landings beginning in January.
As per the original plan the runway's length is 3,050 metres. It will now be extended to 3,400 as efforts to acquire land are under way.
Despite some local protests, residents living in areas marked for acquisition for the runway extension have already expressed their willingness to give away their plots if they get in return a good package of compensation.
Rs. 17-cr. fuel farm project to be completed by June
Trial landings on 2,400-m runway to begin in January
