Durai Vaiko seeks funds for Trichy airport runway expansion

Trichy: Trichy MP Durai Vaiko met Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu in New Delhi on Wednesday and urged him to allocate funds and expedite the runway expansion project at Trichy International Airport.The MDMK MP said a preliminary project report, estimating the cost of extending the airport’s shorter runway at Rs 350 crore, has already been submitted to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). He said several airlines are interested in operating wide-body aircraft from Trichy, for which runway expansion is essential.“Except for 7.6 acres in Keela Kalkandarkottai and Kizhakurichi villages, most of the land required for the project has been acquired and handed over to the AAI by the state govt through the district administration. The remaining land will be acquired after revision of the guideline value,” he said.Durai Vaiko said a longer runway would not only boost passenger traffic but also facilitate exports of agricultural and other products from central Tamil Nadu to international markets.He also highlighted the need for soil stabilisation work near the existing runway. As the California Bearing Ratio (CBR), a measure of soil strength, is below the prescribed standard for long-term aircraft operations, replacement and strengthening of the topsoil to a depth of one metre has been proposed. The work is expected to be carried out alongside the runway expansion project.The MP also urged the minister to operationalise the international courier terminal at Trichy airport, which was notified in 2022 and is ready for use but has not yet been commissioned.