Central govt. to invest ₹ 2,000 cr to expand Coimbatore airport: Chamber

The Central government has decided to invest ₹2,000 crore to expand and modernise Coimbatore International Airport, according to president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, B. Sriramulu.

Mr. Sriramulu, who had a meeting with officials in the Aviation Ministry on Tuesday, told reporters here on Wednesday that the Central government is only waiting for land to commence the modernisation and expansion works. “It has decided to invest ₹2,000 crore and even the design is ready. It will call for tenders once it gets the required land,” he said.

The modernised airport will have the capacity to handle 15 million passengers a year. The construction will take a couple of years and for that period, the Aviation Ministry is looking at improving facilities on the existing premises.

“The government is well-aware of the potential and problems here,” he said.

Mr. Sriramulu said that Coimbatore Collector G.S. Sameeran has indicated that over 85 % of the land required for airport acquisition was acquired and the remaining work is expected to be completed in two months.

“We suggested public private partnership mode for modernisation of the airport to attract more airlines. The government said that will be a policy decision. We will give a representation to the Collector and try to meet the Chief Minister regarding completion of the remaining land,” he said.

If the runway is expanded and the airport is modernised, more airlines will connect Coimbatore to more destinations. Without expansion of the runway, even if there are more aircrafts touching Coimbatore, the current building is inadequate to manage the passenger traffic, he added.