Re-carpeting work of the Gaya International Airport runway is expected to be complete by May 31.
According to Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) guidelines, major repair and re-carpeting of the runway should be done every 10 years. But the work had not been undertaken at the runway in Gaya, since the airport was commissioned in 2000. In November 2016, the airport was closed for 20 days for repair and re-carpeting work, as a sizeable portion of the runway had developed cracks. The work that remained pending is being completed now.
Flights continue to operate from the airport, as the re-carpeting work - that involves re-surfacing the runway and repairing it of the wear and tear - is being done in the evenings or when flights are not scheduled.
"The uneven surface and ditches at several points on the runway had made landing and take-off from the Gaya runway risky," said Gaya airport director Dilip Kumar. "In view of the fissures on the runway, the repair job could not be deferred any longer."
The 2,286m runway is being re-carpeted at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore.
The director also said that the airport needed another 200 acres of land to execute its development projects. Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had on his April 4 visit to Gaya had said the airport infrastructure needed to be upgraded. Raju said: "We have to accept the challenge and make airports compatible with wide aircraft."
The Gaya runway needs another 500m to become compatible with bigger planes. However, the expansion remains a major constraint.
Airport director Dilip Kumar said: "The AAI has drawn up a plan to expand the length of the runway from the existing 2,286m to 2,886m to facilitate landing and take-off of bigger planes. However, the runway expansion programme is held up on account of land issue. The landowners are demanding higher compensation for the land and have appealed before the tribunal set up to settle land acquisition disputes."
The airport is working on rainwater harvesting and a 220kW solar energy plant. "Work on both these projects is in progress, and will be completed in the 2017-18 fiscal," said Dilip. "A new air traffic control tower will also be installed."
