By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 25: The state government seems to have ultimately decided against building a new greenfield airport in favour of expanding the Shillong Airport at Umroi.
The government has made the decision to expand the current airport in order to make it suitable for larger planes, according to reliable sources.
Since the current airport has operational runways and other infrastructure, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) also wants the government to expand it.
According to sources, the necessary surveys are being carried out on the expansion of the runway of the airport and also to determine how many of the surrounding obstacles may be removed.
In the past, the government was in dire need of funds and was even searching for potential locations to build a new airport.
The Shillong airport currently serves select locations in the Northeast, Kolkata, and also offers twice-weekly flights to New Delhi.
Additionally, it has been learned that the airport’s apron construction is almost finished. When it is done, larger aircraft will be able to park here, potentially expanding Shillong’s route network.
Only in the last four to five years has the Shillong Airport regained functionality, with flights to nearby cities at least, during a period when most other airports in the Northeast, such as those in Guwahati, Agartala, Imphal, and even Dimapur, operate flights to numerous destinations.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma had written to Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia in July stating that the state government now wants to thoroughly re-examine the technical option and the possibilities available for up-gradation of the Shillong Airport for the operation of A320 or A321 type of aircraft.