COIMBATORE: The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has extended by six months the term of the Coimbatore International Airport’s temporary licence.
Normally, the ICAO grants licences for up to two years for international airports, if they meet the specified standards for all facilities. As the Coimbatore airport has not created facilities with these standards, the ICAO is extending the term of the temporary licence after every six months, said a senior airport official.
The runway at the Coimbatore airport is now 2,970 metres, which is not enough to accommodate C, D, E, and F types of aircraft.
It has not been possible to lengthen the runway and meet other ICAO standards due to lack of enough land. “Due to the delay in acquiring land by the State, expansion of the airport could not be carried out. So, the ICAO gives the airport only a temporary licence,” he said.
According to ICAO norms, runway of an international airport should be a minimum of 3,800 metres.
The clearance space, measured from the middle of the runway, should be 150 metres both on its left and right sides. But now, the clearance space is only 75 metres on both the sides, the official said. So, the ICAO has permitted the airport only to operate type A and B aircraft.
“The term of the temporary licence for the Coimbatore airport ended in March. The ICAO has extended it for six months. For getting the two-year licence, the airport would need a longer runway,” the official said.