India's first private merchant airport to be set up at Karaikal

1st May 2011

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The country's first private merchant airport for both international and domestic operations is awaiting financial closure with the project works slated to begin in Karaikal in Tamil Nadu in 2012. According to a report in the Hindu, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has given the in-principle clearance for the proposed airport recently. The project by Karaikal Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Coimbatore-based Super Airport Private Limited, has been proposed with 100 per cent private ownership for public use.

The Rs 300 crore project will be spread over 560 acres in three villages of Varichukudi, Kuthakudi and Ponsethi. The plan envisages a 3.5-km long East-West runway to make best use of wind movement to facilitate take off and landing of flights. The control tower operations will come under the purview of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

JV Chowdhury, Chairperson, Super Airport Private Limited, said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation had accorded in-principle clearance on receipt of clearances from the Ministries of Defence and Home, along with a no-objection certificate (NOC) and site clearances from the state government and the AAI respectively.

As for the mode of financing for the project, Chowdhury stated that the financial closure was being worked out and slated to conclude by the last quarter of 2011. Land acquisition was under way and the project scheduled for completion in 15 months from the date of commencement of works.

Merchant airports include two categories of ownership — Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with a government body such as the Ministry of Civil Aviation or the AAI having a stake in it. The other category is hundred per cent ownership by the private party.