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| Runway expansion enters final stage, AAI to inspect facility for ultimate nod | | Night flight to start from Jammu airport soon | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Apr 20: The people of Jammu have this time all reasons to rejoice as night flights from Jammu airport are all set to commence with the expansion of runway entering into the last stage of completion at present.Reports inform that preparations are now underway to start the night flights from Jammu airport and there are expectations that people of Jammu division can get this facility by Deepawali, this year.
Reports inform that by May 15, the runway expansion work will be completed and by virtue of the completion of this project, the length of the runway will increase from 6700 feet to eight thousand feet and there will be landing and take-off of Airbus and B-321 class aircraft with night flight operations.
In 2019, expansion work of Jammu Airport was started at a cost of 159 crores, but due to outbreak of COVID-19, the work was halted for a while. It is, meanwhile, now expected to be completed by 15 May.
As per the reports, after looking into the technical aspects in the project, the team of Airport Authority of India will inspect it and after the nod, Night landing may begin by Diwali. The Instrument Landing System (ILS) has already been installed at Jammu Airport, which is quite necessary in night landing. The government had already released Rs 3.86 crore for meeting the expenses of raising ancillary infrastructural facilities for night hours at the Airport for the convenience of travellers and the staff. Situated 14-kilometers from the international border between India and Pakistan, the Jammu Airport also known as the Satwari Airport used to offer no more than "primitive services" to the fliers. Against the need of 8000 feet stretch, the runway built in asphalt is only 6,700 feet long. This deficit created problems for the flight take off and landing when the pilot had to put in "extra efforts to control the aircraft”. Though this airport caters to around nine lakh passengers annually, successive regimes had failed to upgrade it in line with the needs of the times.
Observers said the airport neglect affected tourism in the winter capital, which is famous as City of Temples. Jammu dominates pilgrimage tourism in the state. The cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi alone attracts over one crore pilgrims annually from far and wide of the country and beyond. But the airport was unable to meet the regional needs. The Airports Authority of India had published data and statistics of the airport between the time period of April 2013 to March 2014. According to this data, the Jammu airport is ranked the 27th busiest airport in India, with a total passenger traffic of 845,555. This was a decrease of 1.9% from 2012–2013. |
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