Andhra Pradesh studies Chinese model for sea runway
The runway will be extended to the sea, facilitating the landing, if short of land
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-08-19 02:15 GMT
Hyderabad:The Andhra Pradesh government has proposed an extended runway into the sea at Bheemili to facilitate the landing of large aircraft like Airbus A380 and Boeing Dreamliners. As the Navy has objected to an airport at Atchutapuram in Visakhapatnam due to a submarine base being developed nearby at Rambilli, the state government is now working on alternatives like Bheemili (Bheemunipatnam) in Visakhapatnam district and Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district.
The Nakkapalli-S Rayavara-Rambilli cluster and Atchutapuram have been opposed by the Centre due to the sensitive naval location. Minister Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu said, “The Navy has objected to the airport at Atchutapuram and there are also technical constraints at Nakkapalli. If the Centre agrees to Atchutapuram, we will go ahead with it. If it refuses, we have Bheemunipatnam as an alternative.
There is 1,400 acre of land at Bheemili. However, this land may not be enough to have a runway. So, we are also examining the Chinese airports, where they have extended runways into the sea, for Bheemili.”
He added that an airport at this spot would be ideal for the film industry. “A central evaluation committee, which inspected all the sites recently, opined that the Visakhapatnam airport was not feasible for operation of large aircraft due to the hills around it,” added Mr Patrudu.
The runway at Delhi airport is 4,430 meter, followed by GMR Hyderabad airport at 4,260 meter and Bengaluru airport at 4,120 meter. The GMR airport is spread over 5,495 acre at Shamshabad and the Delhi airport is spread over 6300 acre.