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Chennai: Eyeing investments in aerospace, the Tamil Nadu industries department is planning a helipad and an airstrip in Krishnagiri district where Hosur, the district headquarters, is gearing up to be an aviation hub with a private MRO facility (maintenance repairing and operations of aircraft).
“With domestic and international passenger traffic expected to grow at an annual average of 8 to 12 per cent in the next five years, there is great potential in the sector and we are seriously looking at aerospace as a lucrative sector in TN,” said an official of the Tamil Nadu Industries Development Corporation. He went on to explain that Bengaluru has already emerged as an aerospace hub but it lacks space for expansion and TN will develop the tier two and tier three facilities required for the aviation industry in the bordering district of Krishnagiri.
The private licensed airfield located in Hosur now has a runway capable of accepting Airbus A 320 and Boeing 737 aircraft and the hangars are capable of accommodating narrow body aircrafts and jets. We will add impetus to such private players by setting up adjacent cluster units in the earmarked SEZ areas.
Helipad, airstrip to take off in Krishnagiri district
Pointing out that Tamil Nadu is the only state in the country to have four international airports which can handle more than 13.5 million passengers connecting to major international destinations, the official said about Rs 25,000 crore is required to strengthen the existing airports and to commission the proposed new greenfield airports.
A deemed university in Vellore, which has a helipad facility in its campus, had been demanding an airport in the city and the state has plans of also developing aerospace in Vellore at a cost of Rs 500 crore.
These new initiatives will be pitched before potential investors, an Industries department official dealing with the aerospace sector said. The tourism ministry has also proposed to introduce helicopter services in southern tourist destinations like Kodaikanal, Madurai, Ramanthanpuram and Kanyakumari aimed at attracting more foreign tourists, said Mr R Parthipan, a tourist operator dealing with foreigners said.
Though our office is located in Egmore, foreigners approaching our corporate office are aware of heritage and tourist destinations and enquire about helicopter services to popular southern destinations, he added.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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