SHILLONG, Sep 22: Transport Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar and top officials of the state government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the expansion of the Shillong Airport at Umroi.
The airport requires longer runways for aircraft bigger than ATRs to operate.
Sources said the meeting, followed by a possible inspection, is likely to take forward the idea of expanding the airport after the LiDAR survey found that it can accommodate larger aircraft with a few alterations and the acquisition of 22 acres of land.
They, however, said they were not privy to information about how the state government and the AAI would handle the expansion plan.
The Shillong Lok Sabha member, Ricky AJ Syngkon petitioned Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, asking him to constitute a neutral committee from industry experts such as experienced pilots, aircraft performance engineers, and aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer.
A few weeks ago, the High Court of Meghalaya observed it is possible to operate mid-size aircraft from Shillong Airport after taking into consideration the findings of a judicial team after visiting the airports at Leh, Port Blair, and Paro (Bhutan). These airports are considered far more challenging than Shillong Airport.
Syngkon said the high court directed the central and state governments to co-ordinate for the expansion of Shillong Airport.
He said the AAI proposed the acquisition of 22 acres of land for the runway extension although this objective was not achieved even after the state government handed over 224 acres to AAI for a price 15 years ago.
Apprising Dhar of the challenges and delays in acquiring land in Meghalaya due to the land ownership system, he said pending court cases related to compensation of acquired land act as a deterrent.
Suggesting a detailed examination of the proposal as certain areas sought may belong to the existing parties or petitioners of such cases which may create encumbrances, Syngkon said the land acquisition proposal may delay the expansion of the Shillong Airport.
He also said the existing runway and other factors are causing load penalties to aircraft such as ATR-72 and Bombardier Q-400 during take-off from Shillong Airport, thus affecting the commercial viability of airlines.
