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Government urged to step up power supply to Tiruchi airport

TIRUCHI: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has requested the State Government to scale up power supply to the Tiruchi Airport to meet the energy requirement of the proposed cold storage facility prior to launching dedicated cargo operations.

According to official sources, there is immense potential for operating cargo planes from Tiruchi. The airport has been receiving a plethora of enquiries on the proposed cargo operations.

Besides non-perishables such as textile products, there are bright prospects for transporting perishables including vegetables, fruits and flowers.

Currently the materials are being transported by passenger flights. In the absence of the cold storage facilities, consignors do not attach much importance to packaging. Cargo operations are expected to accord a fillip to the agricultural sector.

The Airport authorities here have informed the headquarters about the prospects for cargo growth once the dedicated operations are launched. Infrastructure development for starting cargo operations is progressing on the right track, K. Shivakumar, (Acting) Airport Director, and P.S.R.K. Sudhakar, General Manager (Engineering- Project), AAI, told reporters on Monday.

Having extended the runway from 6,000 feet to 7,500 feet, the airport is now equipped to handle large-sized aircrafts. The apron has been extended to accommodate seven aircrafts. A second taxi link has been created to reduce runway occupation time.

The officials said that they expected the new centrally air-conditioned terminal building with escalator and elevator facilities to get functional tentatively by May 2008. Works are in full swing.

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