CII asks Centre to improve Tamil Nadu airport infra

The delegation discussed critical interventions required in the aviation sector towards the growth of major cities in Tamil Nadu namely, Chennai, Kovai, Madurai, Salem and Trichy. 

Ravi Sam, Past Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council, stated that only Trichy and Madurai serve to international destinations as of now. Coimbatore acts as a gateway to places like Tiruppur, Trichy, Salem and Erode needing improved international air connectivity for both passenger travel and cargo handling that is growing multifold year on year. 

The domestic air traffic in Coimbatore region in 2016 was estimated around 20 lakh and the international air traffic was around 1.3 lakh. With improved air connectivity to various domestic and international destinations, Kovai has a catchment potential of 1.25 crore air passengers. 

The value of products exported from the region through air cargo is estimated to be Rs 1 lakh crore. The CII delegation, during the meeting, urged for airport land expansion, cargo facility upgradation, need for additional runway in Chennai Airport, creation of aviation MROs, identifying land for constructing Greenfield airport in Chennai.