Airports Authority of India to develop 50 low-cost airports

KOLKATA: The state-owned airport operator Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to develop 50 new low-cost airports across the country to cope with the growing air traffic.

Announcing this at a conference on Communication, Navigation and Surveillance systems (CNS), AAI Member (Operations) G K Chaukiyal said that the low-cost airports would be built over 10 years in an effort to reduce the cost of operation.

"The cost of operation of the airports and airlines has increased exceptionally and thus their economic viability is a major concern. Only 10 airports in the country are profitable. The low-cost airlines in smaller cities will also strengthen connectivity," Chaukiyal said.

He said that the airports would come up on a public- private partnership model and the Centre had earmarked Rs 100 crore for each airport.

"We also need support from the state governments to make available the required land," he said.

The AAI will also take up modernisation of the CNS systems at all major airports to increase air safety.

It has undertaken programmes to install state-of-the-art communication, navigation and surveillance systems in all major airports to ensure safety in air space, while lauding automation in CNS system at the NSC Bose International Airports here.

Meanwhile, the CNS Officers' Guild, which organised the seminar, have urged the authority to set up a committee to study the human factors of "Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel (ATSEP)" and make recommendations to ensure total safety for air-passengers.

"The levels of safety should be increased following growing air traffic movements and number of airports, besides growth in airspace, for the safety of airlines as well as air-passengers," the Guild President Subit Kobiraj said.

"In AAI we have rich experience and expertise in our technical domain and we assure you to contribute our best for further growth, safety and betterment of the aviation in India," he said.