MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry had submitted a detailed memorandum to Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi in Madurai yesterday- on February 27th 2024-exclusively focusing on Madurai airport issues and the steps needed for its upgradation.
In its representation to the Prime Minister during his visit to Madurai yesterday, the chamber has appealed to him that Madurai airport should be declared as 24X7 airport and to declare it as an international airport besides including it as a ‘Point of Call’ in Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with other countries.
Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce president Dr.N.Jegatheesan, who submitted the memorandum to the Prime Minister during his visit to city yesterday, had pointed out that upgrading infrastructure facilities at Madurai airport will give a boost to development of trade and industry and economic growth of southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
“The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had announced on 10th January 2023 that five airports including Madurai airport will operate as 24X7 from April 1st 2023. We want the steps to be expedited to make Madurai as 24X7 airport instead of 6 am to 10 pm operations. Only when round-the-clock operations are there, airlines will add more flights and it will allow overnight parking of aircraft, providing early morning departures and late night arrivals,” the TN Chamber has appealed to Mr.Modi in its memorandum.
FOR FOREIGN AIRLINES:
The other important issue taken to the Prime Minister’s attention is to initiate steps for inclusion of Madurai airport as a point of call in bilateral air services with other countries to facilitate operation of direct passenger and cargo flights by foreign airlines especially those based in Singapore, Malaysia and Gulf countries.
“Madurai airport has its operations for the past 62 years. If this airport has 24X7 flight services and if included in bilateral agreement with other countries, it will help a lot. As of now, Madurai airport is a point of call with Sri Lanka alone and the Sri Lankan Airways is operating a direct flight in Colombo-Madurai sector. Non-inclusion of Madurai airport as a Point of Call with other international destinations has been restraining foreign airlines particularly those based in Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and Kuwait etc,” the memorandum had pointed out.
MADURAI AIRPORT RUNWAY EXPANSION:
The TN Chamber president Dr.Jegatheesan has also called for steps to expedite the Madurai airport runway expansion work along with an Under Pass at National Highways 45B. “The airport runway expansion project from the present 7,500 ft to 12,000 ft had commenced about 12 years back, land acquisition work was completed and handed over to the AAI by the State government. Hence, this runway expansion work should be executed without delay,” the TN Chamber had appealed.
The Madurai airport handled 12,89,621 passengers in the year 2023, out of whom 2,20,347 were international passengers and 10,69,274 were domestic passengers. “This is more than the domestic passengers handled in Tiruchi airport and more than the number of international passengers handled in Coimbatore airport.
