Too many airports a bad idea, says panel

Visakhapatnam: Sivaramakrishnan Committee has cautioned the state government on its proposal to set up mini airports in all districts, as many as 14 across the state. The committee report said there have been a number of calls for the development of smaller airports and airstrips but these do not seem to bear too much of merit (except for emergency management) given the relatively small distance between these locations and the small volume of traffic that can be expected from them.

The report further said it may be pragmatic to develop high-quality rail and road links to these airports and between them to enable adequate coverage of the entire state of Andhra Pradesh. The integration of high-speed rail links with the airport can boost both investment and development across state. Experts in the aviation sector are also agreeing to the argument of the Sivaramakrishnan committee. “Airports should be set up taking economic viability into consideration otherwise even airlines will not show interest in launching their operations which will push the airports into crisis without any activity. In that scenario what will be the use of so many airports that too in each district which are fairly near each other,” pointed an expert in the aviation sector and Air Travellers Association of India (ATA), president, D. Varada Reddy. He gave an example of the airport at Puttapa-rthi, which once bustled with activity and is now wearing a deserted look without any takers.