SHILLONG: In what can be termed as good news, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started the process of installing Instrument Landing system at Shillong airport, Umroi.
Sreekumar, GM (Engineering), Airports Authority of India Regional Office, informed that they are certain procedures which needs to be followed for ILS and the installation would be completed by December this year.
Once installed, the ILS would provide better visibility to flights even during bad weather.
Reacting to a query about the runway expansion, the official informed that the engineering wing of the AAI is working on the project but it requires the approval of the working board of AAI. He said that the North Eastern Council (NEC) has also given its principal approval for the funding the runway at the Shillong airport.
According to Sreekumar, the AAI would require around 180 crore rupees for the expansion of the runway project.
Tenders have also been floated for repairing of the perimeter road at the airport with an estimated cost of over Rs 28 lakhs.
The official also expressed confidence that the recent Supreme Court order on halting acquisition of land for the project would not affect the development of the airport.
It may be mentioned that the Supreme Court last month had stayed the order passed by the High Court of Meghalaya in relation to acquisition of land for the purpose.
The apex court issued the stay order while responding to a petition filed by the land owners of Nongsder.
The High Court of Meghalaya while taking exception to the undue delay in completion of expansion work of the Shillong Airport at Umroi had passed an order in December last year in which it had set four months to complete the project.
