AAI assures HC of completing Shillong runway expansion in 15

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has assured the Meghalaya High Court to complete the runway expansion at the Shillong Airport within 15 months, but added that operationalising it will be possible only after removing identified obstacles by the state government.
This was stated by AAI general manager in an affidavit filed with the division bench of the Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Judge S R Sen yesterday.
He said the operationalisation of the extended runway would be possible only after removing the identified obstacles from the approach funnel by the state government.
During the hearing, AAI counsel N Mozika also requested the court for some more time for AAI to re-examine the matter.

The court ordered that the case will come up for hearing on December 6.
The high court had registered as a PIL a writ petition in 2015 based on a report placed before it, pointing out undue hardship and inconvenience to the local populace due to the expansion project, and had ordered that the work be completed within four months.
A monitoring committee was also constituted to oversee progress.
The AAI director had in April sought to complete the expansion project by September 30 next year.