Kandla's wait for airport continues

Kandla's long wait for an airline is proving to be harder that dreaming an utopian dream.

A fledgling economy that has attracted investments worth over Rs 10,000 crore and 126 new industrial units, country's second largest port and the oldest special economic zone should have made Kandla the ideal place to develop a modern airport.

But instead what remains of the old airport is a ragged patch of land grazed by cattle and a lounge that houses stray dogs. (In fact the skeleton security staff spend the day trying to prevent cattle from entering the airstrip.)

The businessmen and industrialists from the region now take the four-hour bus trip to Rajkot or Ahmedabad to take a flight to Mumbai or New Delhi.

It is not that industrial houses and trade bodies have not voiced the need for a functional airport in the region. All have fallen in the deaf years for the last four-and-a-half decade.

"Kandla's lack of air connectivity has a negative impact on the Port and SEZ, hampering the movement of high value goods. With the coming up of Mundra SEZ, the air services from Kandla becomes imperative," A Janardhana Rao, chairman, Kandla Port Trust (KPT) said.

A team comprising members of the Gandhidham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, KPT and KASEZ will meet Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel soon.

Pushpadhan Gadhvi, MP from Kutch, said: "We had discussed the matter with the minister earlier too. The lack of air connectivity is hampering the whole development of the region."

The nearest airport is at Bhuj situated some 60 km away from Kandla. From Bhuj a daily Jet Airways flight connects the entire area with Mumbai.

Kandla airport had it last flight over six years ago. First Vayudoot used to operate flights from Kandla airport. After the airline shut shop, the Gujarat Airways carried out services between Mumbai and Kandla before it too discontinued its operation.

The 20-year old airport, at present, has a 5000-feet runway that will allow smaller ATR aircraft traffic. Although the government has invested around Rs 2 crore to make the airport operational, but nothing has happened as yet.

In an attempt to woo the airlines, the Chamber and KASEZ have approached the airline companies guaranteeing 30 seats and two metric tonne of cargo on a daily basis for at least three months, if a morning flight to Mumbai is introduced.

"We talked to several airline operators to start service from Kandla. The region developing smartly, air connectivity from Kandla is inevitable," said Baulal Singhvi, president, Gandhidham Chamber of Commerce and Industry.