There are fears among certain sections that the Karipur International Airport of Calicut maybe ‘downgraded’ to a domestic port.
By Shafeeq Hudavi, TwoCircles.net,
Kozhikode: Alleging planned attempts to ”downgrade’ the Calicut International Airport to remain in use for domestic use only, various organizations in Kerala are up in arms against the Airport Authority of India and Union and State governments.
Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia
The airport remains partially closed since May 1 apparently for runway re-carpeting purpose. As part of the proposed works, authorities have banned wide-body aircraft and put regulations on other services. The decision to partially close the airport from May 1 and to impose a total ban on wide-body aircraft on account of the re-carpeting of the runway was stated to have adversely affected the functioning of the airport, causing trouble to fliers and disrupting the cargo movement.
The future of the airport, the lifeline for the expatriates from the Malabar region of the state to the Gulf countries, remains uncertain. Sources with the airport said that agreements on the contract for re-carpeting have not yet been reached with any company. Besides, the proposed land acquisition for the development of the airport also remains in paper.
The Pravasi Co-ordination Committee, a collective of the expats organizations in Kerala, has alleged deliberate attempts to clip the wings of the airport. The committee has decided to launch indefinite hunger strike at airport from July 1. V T Abdulla Master, secretary of the committee, says that attempts are being made to destroy the airport. Calling for the intervention of the State Government and Centre he says that steps should be taken up to hand over the airport from the control of home ministry to defence ministry.
“The government should bring the airport under the control of defence ministry, so that it can prepare and implement a detailed plan for the development of the airport,” Abdulla Master told TCN.
Youth League, the youth outfit of the Indian Union Muslim League has also threatened the governments saying that it would organize a protest march to airport on June 15. According to the Youth League state committee functionaries, the mach will demand action from the part of Union Government to protect the airport.
P M Sadiqali, state president of Youth League, says the authorities are turning a blind eye towards the airport though it is the back bone of development in Malabar. He flayed the governments saying Malabar will have to pay much for the irresponsible actions of AAI and union government. “The development dreams of the region will be hampered with the present stand of the authorities,” he says.
Alleging interventions on false motives, a Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry functionary, says, “The people residing near the airport are reluctant to handover their land for the development of the airport as they have fallen prey to the lures of a nexus, which is functioning to wash out the Karipur airport.” If the authorities are bold enough to stand up and take stern steps the land can be easily acquired, he adds.
Coming down heavily against the alleged move to downgrade the airport as domestic port, he says that domestic airport will bring very meager income to the Airport Authority of India.
Meanwhile, the Hajj pilgrims from Kerala are likely to be left to suffer owing to the apathy of the authorities. Pilgrims are apprehensive that they will lose the Hajj camp for ever. The State Hajj Committee had set up a full- fledged Hajj camp near the airport, which is the Hajj embarkation point of the state, in 2010, to ease the sufferings of the pilgrims and provide them better facilities. Owing to the closure, the wide body aircrafts, which are used to carry out the Hajj services, are not allowed to land at the airport.
As the request, extended by the Hajj Committee, defied by the Aviation Ministry and AAI, the Hajj Committee authorities are looking to set up a temporary camp in Kochi near Cochin International Airport. Besides, the pilgrims from Malabar, from where almost 60 per cent of the total pilgrims are, will have to travel all the way to Kochi.
“Our prime priority was to operate Hajj services from Karipur airport. But the plan has been confronted with the decision of the Airport Authority of India to close down the airport for repairing and re-carpeting works,” Hajj Committee chairman Kottumala Bappu Musliyar told TCN.
“Unless permission is granted to operate big air-crafts, the Hajj trips would not operate from the airport as big aircrafts with huge capacity is used for the service,” he adds.
Though information was passed by the Airport Authority of India chairman R K Sreevasthava to the Malappuram MP and IUML national president E Ahmed offering postpone of the temporary closure in September last year, the airport was closed only on May 1, 2015.
Minister for Airports K Babu and M K Raghavan had demanded the Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Ganapat Ganapati Raju to extend the closure. An official level meeting was also convened by the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to resolve the crisis. In a bid to ease the sufferings of the pilgrims from Malabar the Kerala State Hajj Committee had also demanded the Civil Aviation Ministry to take a favourable decision for the Hajj pilgrims.
The summer school vacation in GCC, Umrah, Eid-ul-fitr and Hajj period has coincided with the partial closure of the airport. This is causing problems to passengers travelling to and from the Malabar region. The services of Saudi Arabian Airlines, Emirates Airline and Air India had been badly hit owing to the restrictions. Emirates currently operate 11 wide-body aircraft per week to Kozhikode, with Airbus 330 and Boeing 777 providing 278/346 seats per flight.
It is to be noted that there will be a huge impact on the Cargo movement as well without wide-body aircraft on the route. Currently, majority of the cargo from Calicut airport are perishables and goes to Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Meanwhile, the airport authorities have denied the allegations saying there is nothing extraordinary in the decision to strengthen the runway as every airport across the globe does this.
“The process will take time as the work will be carried out for eight hours a day and without closing down the airport completely,” a senior official, who did not want to be named, said.
Related:
Temporary closure of Calicut airport to affect Hajj pilgrims