New Delhi: Union Minister for Aviation, Dr Vijaykumar Singh, said in the Lok Sabha that the Kerala government only handed over 12.5 acres in place of 14.5 acres of land requested for the construction of RESA (Runway End Safety Area) at the Karipur International airport. 

In response to a question from Abdussamad Samadani MP, the Union Minister explained that if the remaining land is turned over to them, the construction could be completed by August 1, 2025. He went on to say that until then, the airport could not provide services for larger aircraft. 

Samadani pointed out that the passengers are facing severe hardship due to delays in resuming the services of large aircraft. The minister said that the expert committee appointed after the Air India plane crash in Kozhikode airport recommended that RESA extension is essential to conduct large aircraft services here. The committee was appointed on the basis of the report submitted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) after investigating the crash.

The state government has been asked to provide 14.5 acres of land required for the construction of a 240-meter RESA.

According to the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, it is the responsibility of the state governments to acquire land for the development of the airports. The airport authority is ready to bear the cost of soil levelling work required for RESA. Accordingly, administrative permission of Rs 484.57 crore has been granted, the minister said. 

Following the plane crash on August 7, 2020, large aircraft were banned from servicing the Karipur International Airport. As part of security precautions, large aircraft are not allowed at Karipur unless the length of RESA (Runway End Safety Area) is increased from the current 90 to 240 meters. As of now, only Code C aircraft are operational in Karipur. At full capacity, Code C planes cannot fly for more than four to five hours. The plane needs to fly with a limited weight capacity.

Although Air India used an 189-seater aircraft for the Hajj pilgrimage service, it carried only 145 passengers onboard. Operating lightweight services like this turns out to be a loss for airlines. Larger planes can carry three times as many passengers as mid-sized planes at less than half the cost. 

Karipur has the minimum required length of RESA. Larger aircraft and longer services will return to Karipur if there is a 240-meter-long RESA along with the existing 2860-meter runway.