Bhubaneswar: The tourism sector in Odisha is sure to get a boost with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) coming up with an ambitious plan to set up a water aerodrome on Chilika Lake.
Although the proposed aerodrome will not have the amenities available at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, it will provide all the necessary requirements to passengers.
Suresh Chandra Hota, director of the Biju Patnaik International Airport said a two-day preliminary feasibility for the location of the proposed aerodrome was carried out by a special team on June 15-16. It was led by the AAI general manager (architect) Sangita Mahay and senior officials of the AAI, SpiceJet, Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, Chilika Development Authority (CDA) and State Water Resources Department.
The team had surveyed the lake area in Satapada in Puri district and Balugaon in Ganjam district. During the survey, the team took stock of the mode of landing of the seaplanes or amphibious aircraft, the direction and location of the proposed aerodrome.
A senior AAI official said the team found that the location of the proposed aerodrome at Satapada will not be feasible due to the shallowness of the lake water and a number of prawn gherries. The team preferred the location in Balugan area where the lake water is deeper and has fewer mosses.
Apart from passenger seaplanes and amphibious aircraft, the water aerodrome will facilitate landing of war planes. However, a single-engine plane will be allowed to land on the aerodrome, the official added.
The length of the runway of the proposed water aerodrome will be 500 feet. The estimated cost for the construction of the aerodrome is Rs 10 crore.
Flight service from the proposed aerodrome will run under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme.
While the Centre has planned to set up 16 water aerodromes in the country, SpiceJet has unveiled plans to buy over 100 amphibian planes to boost regional operations.
