The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, has appealed to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to look at public-private partnership to strengthen infrastructure at Coimbatore International Airport.
The Chamber president B. Sriramulu, who recently met the Civil Aviation Secretary, Rajiv Bansal, said the airport needs an exclusive departure lounge for international flights. During peak hours, the passenger influx is over 850 whereas the capacity of the terminal is just 350 to 400. The annual passenger traffic is two million and is expected to touch four million in four years. Though there are two international flights to Coimbatore, the departure hall is the same for domestic and international passengers.
Further, the cargo potential from Coimbatore region is huge and there is an urgent need to strengthen the cargo terminal. There should also be an assessor at the cargo terminal to assess gem and jewellery that are exported. It is one of the main items exported from here.
Mr. Sriramulu further said that Air India have evinced interest in operating a direct flight to Dubai from Coimbatore. However, the runway expansion work is yet to be taken up. This is because of “abysmally slow” progress in land acquisition of expansion of the runway. The government should do the needful to expedite the land acquisition process.
