Shillong: The Baljek Airport, situated in the outskirts of Tura, the second-largest town in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills District, is set to remain non-operational for the foreseeable future as no bidders have expressed interest in operating smaller flights from the facility.
Responding to a query from Ampati MLA, Miani D Shira, Sniawbhalang Dhar, Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Transport, revealed that despite repeated efforts, including correspondence from the Chief Minister, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has reported a lack of interest from potential bidders.
Dhar expressed disappointment at the situation but assured that efforts are ongoing to attract operators for smaller flights at the Baljek Airport.
In response to inquiries about the airport’s non-functionality, Dhar explained that the current area of the airport is insufficient to accommodate ATR flights. The government had acquired 50 acres of land in 2013, but it was deemed inadequate by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which has requested an additional 60 acres.
Efforts to acquire the necessary additional land are underway, with the land acquisition process for an additional 60 acres in progress. Once secured, the AAI will be approached to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the airport’s infrastructural development.
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Nongthymmai MLA Charles Pyngrope sought clarification on the land requirement for operationalising the airport, to which Dhar responded that the current airport area spans approximately 120 acres and an additional 60 acres are needed.
Regarding inquiries about runway extension, Dhar stated that the current runway length at Baljek Airport is 1100 meters, requiring extension to 1750 meters to accommodate ATR aircraft.
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