Industry associations seek efforts for airport expansion

AAI working on issues such as land acquisition

With increase in business activities and exports from the region, it is imperative to expedite airport expansion works here and have better flight connectivity to the city, said the industry representatives to Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu here on Sunday.

At an interactive meeting that the Minister had with industry representatives, Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA) and the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, submitted a memorandum to the Minister in this regard.

Chamber president D. Nandakumar said the city had direct flight connectivity to Sharjah and Singapore. Though airliners such as Air Asia are interested in operating flights in and out of Coimbatore, they do not have the bilateral traffic rights from the Union Government. Since Coimbatore has been declared as an international airport, direct flight connectivity to overseas destinations needs to be improved.

Expanding Coimbatore Airport is one of the long-pending demands of the city so that flight connectivity can be improved.

The Airport Authority of India is working on issues such as land acquisition. Infrastructure facilities at the airport need to be developed and the airport expansion project should be expedited to tap the potential here, he said.

The city will be able to tap opportunities in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and also in the Information Technology sector with better air connectivity.

President of SIEMA V. Lakshminarayanaswamy said foreign visitors to the city now come to Chennai or Bangalore and take a flight to Coimbatore.

With increase in business activity and exports from the region, more number of overseas buyers and business visitors are coming here and many from the region are travelling abroad.

The airport needs to be expanded and direct flight connectivity to overseas destinations increased for the benefit of these travellers. The airport should have more counters to handle cargo and the runway should be expanded, he said.

The associations also appealed to the Minister to commission a feasibility study for a mass road transport system for the city and provide financial support to the engineering units through a technology upgradation fund scheme, as provided to the textile units.