Shillong Airport runway expansion project
SHILLONG: The proposed expansion of the runway at the Shillong Airport in Umroi has been hit by a roadblock in the form of the detailed project report (DPR) which is yet to be cleared by the State government.
Sources on Sunday informed that the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has already given the go ahead to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and is waiting for the State government to clear the DPR.
The North Eastern Council (NEC) has already written to the AAI to clear the detailed project report.
It is learnt that the State government is in a fix over the DPR since a hillock dots the proposed approach of the runway. The hillock has to be flattened and some trees have to be axed to pave way for expansion of the runway.
According to the sources, the matter has already been conveyed to the State Transport department and the AAI.
The sources, meanwhile, informed that Alliance Air which is operating a flight between Shillong and Kolkata is scheduled to operate flights from the airport till December 31.
The NEC has signed a contract with AAA Aviation Private Limited to operate its flights from the airport. The private firm has been given time till January 28 to mobilise its resources and launch its services from Shillong. The company is set to operate 50-seater planes on the Shillong-Kolkata and Kolkata-Guwahati-Shillong routes.
“If the new firm does not begin its services within the timeframe set for mobilisation, then Alliance Air would continue to operate,” the sources added.