The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is playing spoiler to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's plan to throw open the Rs 2,500 crore new airport terminal before the Durga Puja.
Officially the AAI has cited non-arrival of aerobridges as the reason for the delay. “The aerobridges are yet to arrive. We have not decided on the inauguration date as yet,” Director of Kolkata Airport, B P Sharma said. Although, Sharma did not comment on the inauguration date, officials confirmed the new terminal will welcome travellers from January, 2013 only.
“The new year eve and January 23 (birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose) are the two dates that have been proposed by the civil aviation ministry for inauguration”, an official said.
Incidentally, after meeting Mamata Banerjee here in May this year, Civil Aviation minister Ajit Singh had earlier said, “On the request of the West Bengal government, the inauguration would take place in October ahead of the festive season.”
Although the airport modernisation was entirely funded by Centre, Banerjee was very keen to showcase the new airport as her Puja gift to the people of Bengal. In fact, this was one of the conditions laid down by the Trinamool Congress as a trade-off for its support to Centre's proposal to allowing 49 per cent FDI in aviation earlier in the year. "In case of delay, even there was a proposal earlier to formally inaugurate the terminal by October ahead of actual operation," said an official.
However, after the TMC -Congress break up, the Centre does not seem to be in a hurry to meet the October, 2012 deadline set by West Bengal chief Minister Mamata for the commissioning of the new airport.
“I visited the airport last moth. It seemed to be in a position to be ready by October. But, I have heard aerobridges are yet to arrive. I am not sure of the current situation and whether they are postponing the inauguration. And if so why?” senior TMC MP Saugata Roy told Business Standard. Roy is also the chairman of Kolkata airport advisory committee.
According to the airport officials, the first lot of the aerobridges are expected to arrive by October 15. “Even if all the aerobridges arrive before Puja, the inauguration is not going to happen. Since, it is certain that airport will be thrown open only in January, airports authority is not in a hurry. Even, the allotment of space to the airlines are yet to be finalised,” said an official.
A Thai-Indian consortium of ITD-ITD Cementation was hired by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to carry out this modernisation task in November 2008. The airport will offer a new terminal, modern taxiways and extension of a runway so that it can handle the giant Airbus A-380 aircraft. The 195,000 square metre new six level integrated passenger terminal building will be able to handle 25 million passengers annually as against the present annual capacity of 5 million.
