The Centre on Monday informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that approval from the Union Cabinet was required in order to upgrade or notify the status of the Madurai airport as an international airport.
A Division Bench of Justices T.S. Sivagnanam and S. Ananthi directed the Centre to submit a counter affidavit in the case. The court was hearing the public interest litigation petition filed by A. Satheesh Kumar, president of the Forum of Tour Organisers, Madurai.
Assistant Solicitor General L. Victoria Gowri also informed the court that there were other necessary parameters that had to be looked into, including infrastructure facilities, in order to notify an airport as an international airport.
In his PIL petition, Mr. Satheesh Kumar said that Madurai and other southern districts in the State were dependent on the airport in Madurai. Till 2012, it remained a domestic airport and then was declared a customs airport with limited international operations.
The petitioner said that the facilities at Madurai airport matched or were superior to those at some international airports in the country. But the airport was yet to be notified as an international airport. The case was adjourned for the filing of the counter affidavit.
