NEW DELHI: With the new passenger terminal building now in place and subsequent extension of the runways both horizontally and vertically the Shillong Airport at Umroi will contribute a great deal to the economy of the State and the entire region.
Talking to The Shillong Times here, Union Minister Vincent Pala said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has plans to raise the standard of Umroi airport to that of an international airport. “In fact, flights to and from many neighbouring countries like South East Asian countries, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh can operate from Shillong Airport,” he said.
Pala will be attending the inaugural function at the invitation of the Civil Aviation Minister, Vayalar Ravi on Saturday. Among others Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and top officials of the AAI will also attend the function.
“The terminal building will cater to increased inflow of passengers which is bound to contribute manifold to the growth of the State’s economy,” Ravi hoped.
The new terminal, built at a cost of Rs 30 crore, is fitted with latest equipment like explosive trace detectors, baggage X-ray machines, conveyer belt, and close-circuit cameras. It has been upgraded with six check-in counters, a complete security hold area, and separate blocks have been created for arrivals and departures, and a modern medical inspection room.
The AAI has acquired 224.16 acres of land for expansion of the airport to facilitate landing of bigger aircraft. The new runway will be lengthened to 7,500 feet from the present length of 6,000 feet and will be realigned with the existing runway. The new runway will have PCN 54 strength (Pavement Classification Number), which means that it can withstand the load and speed of bigger aircraft such as the Airbus 300.
Meghalaya Government has paid around Rs 50 crore in compensation to about 250 land owners for the expansion of the airport to provide better connectivity for the State with the rest of the country. The land-locked hill state is connected to the rest of the country mostly by road at present with no railway connectivity. At present, the Shillong Airport can accommodate only 50-seater ATR aircraft, serviced every day except Fridays from Kolkata.
The air traffic in the north-eastern region with smaller airports, smaller aircraft, intra-regional air connectivity, and more frequent flights is likely to increase both within the region and with the country. This could contribute a lot towards the international flights since tourists would like to visit different places of the region.
DoNER Ministry has prepared a policy document on civil aviation entitled ‘Multi-Utility Aviation in the north-eastern region – An Alternative Innovative Model for Hastening Development. This will help fast tracking air connectivity in the region.
As per the DoNER Ministry’s plan the regional hubs, which would connect the North-East to the rest of the country, would in turn be linked to 20 “spokes” (Level 2) across all the seven north-eastern states and Sikkim. Currently, there are 20 such airfields (in addition to the four regional hubs); sadly, only seven are operational, while the remaining 13 have fallen into disuse, but could be easily upgraded.
Once the “spokes” are activated, the DoNER Ministry would like the 59 of the 86 districts not serviced by Level 1 and 2 services or three proposed green-field airports, to have permanent helipads. Due to the Open Sky policy of the 1990s, the commercial aspect of air services to the North-East has gained ground.