Karaikal airport construction works to be completed before mid-2018

Works to build India's 'first private greenfield airport' here will be completed before June next and the airport will become operational soon after, a senior Karaikal Airport Private Limited official said today.

About 350 acres of land out of the proposed 526 acres for the airport project had already been procured, KAPL Chairman J V Chowdhary told reporters here.

"Of the 60 acres of land required for runway construction, we have procured 45 acres and the remaining 15 acres will be procured within a month," he said.

Runway construction works will begin immediately thereafter and all construction works will be completed before June 2018, he said.

The company had obtained all necessary clearances from regulatory agencies, including permission from the Civil Aviation Ministry and no-objection certificate from the Puducherry government and has now started making preparations for setting up the airport.

"To start with, in the first phase of construction, the airport will have a 1.25-km runway, which could accommodate small 19 to 30 seat aircraft," he said. The runway would be expanded to accommodate bigger planes in the subsequent phases.

Chowdhary said KAPL was talking to operators like Air Odisha and Air Deccan to operate planes to and from Karaikal airport.

"We have planned to adopt state-of-the-art communication technology and equipment for this airport. Once it becomes functional, it will be one of the best small airports in the country," he said.

Chowdhary said the airport construction was dragging since 2011 mainly due to delays in land acquisition.

"Now that we have acquired adequate land for the first phase of construction, we will get started soon," he said.