MADURAI: Even while welcoming the Airport Authority of India's (AAI) recent announcement that the Madurai Airport would hereafter function round the clock, the Agrofood Chamber has expressed concerns over the facility's actual prospects to operate flights during the midnight and wee hours.
In a release, the chamber president, S Rethinavelu, said that if even after this announcement, airline carriers are not interested to fly to Madurai during night time, the night duty of the staff should be withdrawn. "In an earlier occasion, the CISF personnel deployed for the night shift at Madurai airport were withdrawn citing the same reason," he said.
"Unless the airport is included as a 'point of call' in the Bi-lateral Airport Service Agreement (BASA) entered into by India, particularly with Singapore, Malaysia, Doha and the UAE, the airliners from these countries would not be able to commence direct air service to Madurai. Our country neither meets the demand for more international flight services with domestic airliners nor allows airliners from other countries to operate to Madurai, even though many airliners from these countries have expressed interest to operate directly to Madurai," he added.
Highlighting the potential to export agro-food products from Madurai abroad with improved air travel provisions, Rethinavelu said Madurai Airport is still a 'Customs Airport' and not yet elevated to the status of an international airport, despite handling more international passengers than the other 10 'Customs Airports' in India. "In the interest of south Tamil Nadu's development, the state government and elected representatives must mount pressure on the union government to address these grievances immediately," the chamber president added.