The Meghalaya High Court has directed the state government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to conduct an inspection of Shillong Airport with the aim of extending the runway within the coming months.
AAI’s Proposal and State Government’s Response
During a hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Monday, Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice B Bhattacharjee mentioned that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has communicated the cost estimate for assessing the feasibility of extending the runway at Shillong Airport in Umroi town and that they have already submitted it to the state.
Anticipated Actions and Future Plans
The bench expressed hope that both the AAI and the state will collaborate to work out the necessary procedures and complete the inspection within the next couple of months. They also directed that the matter will be revisited after a period of 10 weeks.
Aim for Larger Aircraft Operations
Sniawbhalang Dhar, the Minister in-charge of Transport, on October 15 revealed that the state government is anticipating the feasibility report regarding the potential operation of larger aircraft from Umroi Airport. He mentioned that the newly appointed consultants have requested a two-month timeframe to compile and submit this feasibility report. He emphasized that a decision on the matter will only be made once the report is available. Dhar also expressed the government’s interest in upgrading the current airport to accommodate larger aircraft.
About Shillong/Umroi Airport
Shillong Airport, also known as Umroi Airport, is a domestic airport serving Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, India. It is located 30 km from Shillong. The airport was constructed in the mid-1960s and became operational in the mid-1970s. It has a single terminal with a capacity of handling 100 passengers at a time.
(With inputs from PTI)