Low-cost airports in major towns will fuel growth: Gopinath

Bangalore: G.R. Gopinath, managing director of Deccan Aviation, which operates the country's second largest airliner in terms of market share, Air Deccan, believes that States can pioneer the next wave of the aviation revolution if they build low-cost airports in major towns.
A typical low-cost airport with no frills can be built at an approximate cost of Rs. 16 crore, excluding the cost of land, he points out.
Speaking to The Hindu here on Friday, he argued that equitable growth could be achieved only through air connectivity, though one could not hope to match the economies of scale, say at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Bangalore, at the district level.
A typical low-cost airport should be all-weather, functional with regard to safety and reliability and have night-landing facility.
A low-cost airport with a 4,500 ft by 80 ft runway, a 300 ft by 80 ft taxiway, a 300 ft by 200 ft apron for two aircraft, an Air Traffic Control tower, a windsock, communication equipment, night-landing instruments and a passenger terminal can be built at Rs. 16 crore. This excludes the cost of around 70 acres of land required, says Capt. Gopinath.
30/10/06 Anil Kumar Sastry/The Hindu

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