New Delhi: The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found that the site for the Sabarimala airport at Cheruvally Estate is impractical. The space does not have the width or length to prepare the runway according to the rules. According to a three-page report submitted by the DGCA to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the situation is similar in Mangalore and Kozhikode.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation had sought the opinion of the DGCA on the basis of the report submitted by Kerala regarding the Sabarimala Airport. The airport report was prepared by Louis Berger Consultancy, an American company, on behalf of the Government of Kerala. However, the DGCA clarified that the report submitted to the Kerala Ministry of Civil Aviation was not credible as it was not signed by its authors.
The proposed location is 88 km from Kochi International Airport and 110 km from Thiruvananthapuram Airport. Under current rules, no other greenfield airport is within 150 kilometers of an airport. Even if the Central Government amends the rules and gives permission for Sabarimala Airport, the existing site will not be long enough and wide enough to prepare the runway.
The runway will be similar to the Mangalore and Kozhikode airports. Checking the wind direction is not at all suitable for the airport. The DJCA also informed the Center that the construction of the airport would adversely affect two villages in the surrounding area. The DGCA has stated in its report that it will announce its decision after considering all the comments made by Kerala regarding the airport.
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