Bagdogra Airport

Siliguri, June 23: The Union civil aviation ministry has set the Airports Authority of India a deadline of July 2009 for night landing to become operational at Bagdogra Airport. Sources said the expansion of the terminal building would also have to be completed by then.

The instructions follow a recent visit of the civil aviation secretary, Ashoke Chawla, to the airport. The official, who was to visit Pakhyong in Sikkim, changed his plan as the weather was not favourable for helicopters to fly him there. Travel by road was not possible either because of the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

But the change in the plan — Chawla was supposed to stay overnight in Sikkim and proceed to Guwahati and Shillong the next day — was a boon in disguise for Bagdogra Airport. “When the visit to Pakhyong could not take place, the secretary decided to take the flight to Guwahati that day itself. And during his wait for the aircraft, he had a review of the airport’s condition,” the sources said.

A three-member technical team from the AAI had visited the airport at the end of April to carry out a survey for the installation of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) which assists pilots while approaching the runway at night or when light is insufficient during the day because of fog.

The team has filed a report saying except for some minor adjustments that the Indian Air Force, which runs Bagdogra airfield, has to carry out, the airport is in a position for the installation of the ILS.

“Slight modifications will have to be carried out which should not be a problem. Tenders have already been invited for the work,” a senior airport official said today.

With a 24 per cent increase in passenger traffic at Bagdogra Airport over the past one year and a 20 per cent increase in flight movement, the terminal building needs expansion. “We are extending the main terminal building by 12 metres in the front by re-locating the parking lot,” the official said.

According to the official, if the agitation by the Morcha persists, all this work will be of no use. Owing to the strife in the hills and the disruption on the road to Sikkim, two no-frills airlines — Deccan and Spicejet — have cancelled their Calcutta-Bagdogra flights over the past few days as they were not getting passengers.

“Seats were made available on the flights operated by Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher for the few passengers who had booked seats on the low-cost airlines,” said the official.