Summary:
New Delhi, Sep 20 (PTI) Aviation regulator DGCA has raised certain issues about the proposed site for the Sabarimala international airport in Kerala and required modifications could be carried out to address the concerns, according to sources.
The airport is planned to be developed in the more than 2,200-acre Cheruvally estate and would be about 48 kilometres away from the famed Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple, a hill shrine visited by lakhs of pilgrims every year.
The sources said DGCA has submitted the comments to the ministry of civil aviation on the site clearance approval for developing the airport after an inspection conducted by its officials.
Noting that the proposed site is basically a hilly terrain, DGCA said the site topography is similar to the Calicut and Mangaluru airports, and that also needs to be kept in mind while considering the proposal.
In its submissions to the ministry, the watchdog said there may be a "constraint in runway length and associated facilities" and result in restriction on aircraft operation.
Another aspect is that the proposed airport falls within 150 kilometres aerial distance of two existing international airports -- Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram.