Uneven tarmac forces closing of aerobridge

NAGPUR: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport run by Mihan India Limited (MIL) is often in the news for all the wrong reasons like lack of basic facilities for passengers, animals straying in operational area or a runway as bad as the city roads. Now it is turn of apron area and taxiways 'Alpha' and 'Bravo' that were resurfaced recently.
Sources at airport disclosed that due to sub-standard work and poor quality materials used in resurfacing, the new apron has already started giving way.The surface has become uneven at many places, rough patches and potholes have developed near aerobridge wheels. A senior MIL official requesting anonymity informed that these problems had not yet resulted in flight disruption. However, a pothole developed just near the aerobridge wheels has forced authorities to stop its operations for the next few days.
Senior MIL officials admitted that tarmac which was resurfaced just a month back was in poor condition and once again needed repairs. MIL created new apron area creating five new parking bays and resurfaced two existing taxiways. The resurfacing work of 64,000 sq metre old apron area having 12 parking bays was completed only in March. With this, airport developed room for 17 wide-bodied aircraft but the sub-standard work has put a question mark on whether these facilities would be used by airlines, they said.
CEO of MIL and Sr Airport Director V K Yadava confirmed that aerobridge operations were suspended for due to uneven surface near wheel. He said MIL has appointed a team of experts to conduct a technical inspection into how the newly resurfaced area got deteriorated. The consultant appointed for the entire work has also been asked to submit a report, Yadava said.
Meanwhile, the 3,200-metre runway of city airport is still awaiting a new surface, despite the Airports Authority of India (AAI) agreeing to share the cost of work with Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC).
AAI chairman V P Agrawal has agreed to share the cost of Rs 25 crore to ensure that the runway was resurfaced soon. However, there is no progress on the project, officials confirmed. The runway was last resurfaced in 2004. Before that, AAI had resurfaced it in 1995. TOI has been highlighting MIL's neglect of the runway, tarmac and taxiway.