In Tamil Nadu, when it comes to expansion of airports in tier-II cities, land acquisition process has gained steam in Thoothukudi, Madurai and Coimbatore while Tiruchy has emerged a laggard, said the Airports Authority of India (AAI). It is also planning to develop Salem and Vellore airports in the second phase. AAI’s Regional Executive Director (South) D Devaraj said that infrastructure facilities at the international airports would also enable landing of wide-bodied aircraft like A330 and B737-800.    

The airport terminals would also be upgraded to matching infrastructure, he said. On the current status of land acquisition, Devaraj said that things were going smooth at Thoothukudi airport, as the State government had already acquired land and only the transfer process from the government to AAI was pending. Land acquisition at Coimbatore is also in an advanced stage, he said.    

Devaraj said that there had been no notification issued on land acquisition for Tiruchy airpor. Despite international connectivity available at Tiruchy airport, it is lagging behind in development, as no steps have been taken to notify requirement of land acquisition, he said.