Delays in land acquisition threaten runway expansion at Thiruvananthapuram airport

Thiruvananthapuram: The state government is taking steps to acquire land for construction of a runway at Thiruvananthapuram airport. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suggested that the strip on both sides of the runway should be widened to 150 meters by September 2024 to ensure safe air travel. If the necessary space is not provided, the operation of the airport will be affected.

To continue with the investment, 12 acres of land in Chaka must be acquired. The state government owns 10.5 acres of land where Chaka Fire Rescue Station is located and the central government owns 1.5 acres of land. The government must decide to release the land. The airport authorities made many appeals to the government on this matter. Now, the DGCA has given an ultimatum to the government for land acquisition.

The government then initiated land acquisition procedures. The government will hand over the land to the Airport Authority of India, including the Chaka-Shangumugham road section. Therefore, it will be necessary to build a new road in this place. The Adani Group, which is responsible for managing the airport, will cover the expenses of land compensation provided by the government and the cost of building a new road.

As per international standards, the clear zone on both sides of the runway at Thiruvananthapuram airport should be widened to 150 meters. To allow larger aircraft to land, these requirements must be met. The Adani group has expanded the existing 90-meter-wide zone to 110 meters.

Brahmos Aerospace, which owns land with an area of ​​1.5 acres, applied for exemption from the obligation to provide land for the construction of the airport. Brahmos has recently witnessed major development projects. Brahmos officials say that even DRDO has offered them a project worth millions of rupees.

Meanwhile, Brahmos officials have asked the Secretary of Transportation to take positive action, citing the need to provide more space for the Brahmos Missile Integration Complex and the recently launched missile hangar unit project.