Kozhikode: The Airport Authority of India may not allow the Calicut International Airport to operate without sufficient facilities stipulated for the wide-bodied aircraft.
Highly placed sources in the AAI told DC that the big aircraft were allowed to operate due to political pressure.
Started operations as a type-D airport in 1988, it is a type-E airport operating even heavier wide-bodied aircraft, despite not having the standard operational conditions.
“Big aircraft of Air India were first operated from the airport for Haj pilgrims five years back and step by step more aircraft were allowed diluting parameters,” he said. “The AAI had already intimated the state government about urgency in expansion of the runway and other facilities”.
In a recent letter to K Babu, the minister in charge of airports, Union minister for civil aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju had informed that the repairing works at the airport had been postponed to September considering the pleas from the state government citing peak festival season.
But the step proved futile as the AAI decided to go ahead with the temporary ban for big aircraft from May 1, indicating its strict stand.
Meanwhile, there is a widening rift in the IUML leadership over promoting the airport as a major section had lost interest.
Many top leaders or their kith and kin have stakes in either Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) or in the upcoming Kannur International Airport, both corporate airport promoted by the state government.
However, newly elected member of Rajya Sabha P. V. Abdul Wahab MP said that the future of the Karipur airport would be bleak if the expansion of the airport was delayed further.
“If the AAI refuses to clear wide bodied aircraft citing safety reasons, none of us can criticise them,” he pointed out.
