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The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has set the ball rolling for the expansion of the Juhu airport to reduce congestion at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. A board meeting on Wednesday cleared the preliminary proposal. We now have to lay down options to the state government to take it forward, a board member said.
KPMG,which had undertaken a pre-feasibility survey,has proposed that the runway be extended on stilts into the sea. This will involve a massive infrastructure rehaul. We have proposed a public-private partnership with AAI for the expansion,for which the investment could be Rs 1,500-2,000 crore, said Amber Dubey,director,Aerospace and Defence,KPMG.
However,the number of obstructions could be an immediate roadblock for any expansion plan. The airport a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) one can be open for operations only from 6 am to 6 pm when visual flying is possible. It would need to be upgraded to an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) airport to accommodate small aircraft at all times and an upgrade could be difficult as the limit for obstructions would then be more stringent.
Dubey said the obstructions detected would require a detailed study. The Juhu ATC had also sought the removal of obstacles. Only two weeks ago,the airport proposed the banning of fixed wing aircraft because of obstructions in the form of trees and small buildings.
If approved,there will be around 70 movements of general aviation and ATRs at the airport. This approval basically opens the door for other studies,including those of environmental issues as it falls on CRZ land and legal issues owing to slums and other buildings. It will also need a survey of the ocean bed to see if pillars can be built.
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