Kerala govt to take call on second airport in Kozhikode: AAI

Kozhikode: The Airport Authority of
India is ready to conduct feasibility
study on the demand for a new
international greenfield airport in
Kozhikode district if the Kerala
government comes up with the proposal, a top AAI official said here.
"There is reasonable growth potential
available even in the present airport.
But always another airport, if possible,
in the country is welcome," V P
Agarwal, Chairman, Airport Authority of India, said.
"The call is to be taken by the state
government whether they want it and
how they want it. If the state
government wants us to do the study,
we will do the study," he said. The existing Kozhikode International
Airport at nearby Karripur, is a 'critical'
airport, he said, adding that does not
mean the airport is unsafe to operate.
"By no standard, it is unsafe we are
having sufficient protection for the safe operations at the Kozhikode
airport," he said.
Kozhikode airport is presently
operating at 2.2 million (passenger)
capacity and comfortably could go
upto 20 million. "There is reasonable growth potential," he said.