The old Madras airport, where people could casually walk in, see off passengers, and watch aircraft take off and land will soon be pulled down. This demolition will pave the way for the straightening of a taxiway at the airport.
Airport director Deepak Shastri said the old airport and the Madras Flying Club had to be demolished as they planned to straighten the curve of the taxiway, thus improving the efficiency of operations and helping aircraft taxi quickly to the Guindy end of the main runway. “These two buildings are obstructions and hence they have to go. We have completed the safety audit and the work may start soon,” he added.
The move will help aeroplanes save fuel to some extent and taxi quickly, sources said. Though this plan was mooted long ago, it did not take off for long.
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This old building may not mean much now but saw a constant stream of activity over the decades. The first flight from Madras took off on February 15, 1911, with the pilot, J. Tyck Bleriot, having to battle unfavourable weather. But the city emerged on the aviation scene when J.R.D. Tata piloted an aircraft in October 1932 from Karachi to Madras via Bombay. Then, from looking for a site for the aerodrome in 1935 to the establishment of a national passenger terminal in April 1985 at a cost of Rs. 16 crore, the old airport was witness to vast changes in the sector.