Surat international airport inches towards reality

  • | Wednesday | 21st February, 2018

This will pave way for an international airport in the next couple of months. Following pending approval for the customs notified status and appointment of immigration staff, the airline had not announced any concrete plans for the operations. In its reply, the bureau of immigration conveyed its inability in providing requisite manpower and had asked the state government to provide it.‘We Work For A Working Airport At Surat’ (WWWAS) member Sanjay Jain said, “Finally, the state government has approved immigration staff for Surat airport. Now, the ball is in the court of the central government to provide customs notified status to Surat airport for starting limited international operations.”Earlier, Air India Express, an undertaking of Air India, had announced its plan to operate direct flights between Surat and Dubai. A reference was given of a letter dated June 7, 2017, addressed to the principal secretary, home department, government of Gujarat, requesting to make arrangements for providing required manpower and other infrastructure necessary for carrying out immigration functions at the airport.Airports Authority of India (AAI) had written to bureau of immigration for providing immigration facilities at Surat airport for commencement of international flights in May 2017.

SURAT: The dream of local people to have an international airport in the Diamond City may come true with the state government allocating Rs 1 crore for setting up of immigration facilities at Surat airport.Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, while presenting the state budget in Gujarat assembly on Tuesday, stated that the government has earmarked Rs 1 crore for setting up of immigration facilities at Surat airport.It was on September 20, 2017, that the home department of Gujarat government had asked the director general of police to allot 68 immigration staff for Surat airport in the financial year 2018-19.The prime minister’s office (PMO), ministry of civil aviation and ministry of home affairs (MHA) had given clear directions to the state government to take over immigration functions at Surat airport.In the latest communication to Gujarat government, the MHA, government of India (a copy of which is with TOI) has stated that the process of declaration of Surat airport as an authorized immigration check post would be initiated only on receipt of positive response from the state government.The central government had clearly said that the state government needs to take over immigration functions at Surat airport. A reference was given of a letter dated June 7, 2017, addressed to the principal secretary, home department, government of Gujarat, requesting to make arrangements for providing required manpower and other infrastructure necessary for carrying out immigration functions at the airport.Airports Authority of India (AAI) had written to bureau of immigration for providing immigration facilities at Surat airport for commencement of international flights in May 2017. In its reply, the bureau of immigration conveyed its inability in providing requisite manpower and had asked the state government to provide it.‘We Work For A Working Airport At Surat’ (WWWAS) member Sanjay Jain said, “Finally, the state government has approved immigration staff for Surat airport. This will pave way for an international airport in the next couple of months. Now, the ball is in the court of the central government to provide customs notified status to Surat airport for starting limited international operations.”Earlier, Air India Express, an undertaking of Air India, had announced its plan to operate direct flights between Surat and Dubai. Following pending approval for the customs notified status and appointment of immigration staff, the airline had not announced any concrete plans for the operations.

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