Date:23/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/23/stories/2008082358430100.htm

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Tuticorin airport gets more facilities

R. Vimal Kumar

— Photo: N. Rajesh

safety feature: This X-ray baggage inspection equipment will be commissioned at Tuticorin airport soon.

Tuticorin: Tuticorin airport is being modenrised to augment operational and non-operational infrastructure and facilitate handling of more aircrafts.

Speaking to The Hindu, T. K. G. Nair, Manager and Officer in-charge, Tuticorin airport, said that a Rs. 28-lakh X-ray baggage inspection equipment would be commissioned soon. This German-made computerised gadget would help detect explosives.

A salient feature of the equipment would be that images could be stored in e-files for future reference.

Besides, an Explosive Trace Detector was installed at a cost of Rs. 42 lakh. An X-ray baggage inspection equipment for ‘hand baggage’ was also commissioned recently at a cost of Rs. 22 lakh.

Runway expansion

The length of the runway would be extended from 1,300 metres to 3,000 metres to facilitate handling of wide-bodied aircraft. Now, only smaller-sized ATR-72 model aircraft could be handled here.