AAI seeks land for runway extension

“The request for 55 acres of land to expand the runway to 1,000 metres from the present 800 metres was sent to the Tamil Nadu government a few days ago,” said AAI regional executive director P Sreekumar. 

However, much to the disappointment of local residents and others who were eagerly expecting the airport to be operational by July, AAI announced that the flight services from Vellore to Chennai and Bengaluru would commence only in December.

“We have to undertake the obstacle survey to ensure that it is safe for flights – both small and big – to land. That is why it is safe to assume that flights will become operational by December this year,” Sreekumar added.

Meanwhile, Turbo Aviation, the operator licensed by the civil aviation ministry to operate flights on the Vellore-Chennai and Vellore-Bangalore sectors under the central government’s UDAN scheme, received a boost after the leather industry came forward to support the move to put Vellore on the state’s aviation map. 

With the tannery belt of Ambur and Vaniyambadi accounting for about 40 per cent of the nation’s leather exports, the support from these firms is crucial to ensure that flights are viable. 

VIT chancellor G Viswanathan told DT Next, “The airport can succeed, as the Central Government has assured a subsidy of Rs 2,500 per seat. This would reduce fares on the 40-minute trip to Chennai and Bengaluru from here.”