Test flight in Kannur by January likely

 
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government is expediting steps to carry out the maiden touch down of aircraft at the fourth international airport of the State coming up at Mattannur in Kannur in January next and to commence flight operations from September. Replying to a Calling Attention motion raised by Sunny Joseph in the Assembly on Tuesday, Minister for Ports and Airports K. Babu said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had taken up the issue of getting clearance for the test flight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Five months were lost due to the unseasonal rain, delay in getting quarry licence from the panchayat and protests. Nearly 65 per cent of the work of the runway and 55 per cent of the terminal building had been completed for the Greenfield airport.

The Minister said there was no need to increase the runway length to 4,000 m as the 3,050 m runway proposed in the initial stage could accommodate Boeing 777 and 747. “The 4,000 m runway will not be of any use in Kannur in the next 25 years,” he said.

Only 206 acres, including the 131 acres needed for increasing the runway length to 3,400 metre, needed to be acquired. The political climate was not favourable for the proposed greenfield road and the District Collector had been asked to take it up, the minister said.

Replying to another submission by T M Thomas Isaac on the crisis faced by the coir sector in the State, Minister for Revenue and Coir Adoor Prakash said the traditional sector would be protected at any cost. The government had provided Rs.18.53 crore as working capital and for procurement of coir to Coirfed and 3,01,553 quintal of coir had been procured.