Achieving the dream to fly high and fly more
Creating efficient airports network is our goal, says Guruprasad Mohapatra
GURUPRASAD MOHAPATRA, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of 1986 batch, is known as an ‘infrastructure man' due to several unique projects he has executed in Gujarat. His list includes projects like the Sabarmati River Front at Ahmedabad and the BRTS. Be it the power sector, urban development or industry, Mohapatra has excelled in most of the assignments. During his tenure as the Municipal Commissioner in Surat and Ahmedabad, he played an integral role in changing the face of these cities. As the chairman of Airports of Authority of India (AAI) for close to a year, he is now trying to ensure that air travel is made comfortable, at least at airports, for the growing number of passengers in India. Mohapatra shares his journey with Free Press Journal’s ABHILASH KHANDEKAR. PM is talking of a New India by 2022. How are you going to grow by that time—infrastructurewise?
We work as per the civil aviation policy. With the projected growth of 22 per cent in the number of air travellers, we have both challenges and opportunities on our hand. As a sole agency for construction of airports and facilitation, AAI’s challenge is to cope with the emerging problems of increased air traffic management, air space utility and passengers conveniences on ground at all domestic and international airports of the country. When I say opportunities, it means gearing up to professionalise our services and modernise our equipment to meet the growing demand.
What are your modernisation plans?
Increasingly, all the airports related technologies in the world are focussing on the crucial aspect of safety in air and the passenger conveniences at the ground. We are working overtime to improve airports quality from every angle.
Air Navigation Services (ANS) is the thrust area. We already have automatic dependent surveillancebroadcast (ADS-B) at more than 20 airports and Advance Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems (ASMGCS) at five airports to upgrade surveillance capability not only at the airports but also in the vicinity. Additionally, GAGAN— GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation and CATFM—Central Air Traffic Flow Management and automation systems for air traffic control are in place. As more and more new airports are being planned and executed, such essential services will require constant improvements.
When will Navi Mumbai airport be completed?
It is an idea conceived by the Maharashtra Government and they will implement it. As you may realise the airport ownership in India is mixed one. Some are Airforce-run airports where we have civil enclaves, like the recently upgraded Jammu Airport or the Pune airport which is not AAI property. In Pune, we are looking at our own airport in immediate future. Likewise, some state governments have their own infrastructure and Navi Mumbai is one of them. Such infrastructure would help ease the pressure on the existing airport in some way.
Growth in air travellers has been 22 per cent and India have crossed 100 million mark of domestic and foreign travellers. But there are issues of overcrowding at airports, delayed take offs due to occupied runways and so on. What is your view on these issues?
Yes I agree. Mumbai airport is quite congested. New Delhi is really a world-class airport too and it is showing signs of going the Mumbai way because of enhanced activities and demands of travellers. There are many airports which have traditional runways where the aircraft has to go right up to the end of the single strip then take a UTurn and take off. It holds an incoming flight for close to 6-7 minutes in the air. This delays departure and take-off schedules of many flights causing great inconvenience to passengers. So parallel taxi tracks and such things are required. Optimum utilisation of air space is also being looked at by us.
UDAN—the ambitious project of Indian Government to help common man to fly is likely to bring in extra passenger load. Is the AAI prepared to deal with that?
The growth in air traffic is happening. Schemes like UDAN would surely bring in a set of new passengers. So AAI has to be on its feet all the time to augment its facilities, think out of box and modernise. We are doing all that. We are also thinking of no-frills airport (like the US and some European countries) where only the passengers would come in with handy baggage, show the boarding cards or IDs and get into the plane. These would be smaller airports where you may not find any luxury of restaurants, shopping facilities, massage parlours etc. The cost of such airports would be as low as say Rs one crore or maybe two crore. This would save cost in infrastructure but would provide air facilities at smaller cities which have some kind of existing air strips. These infrastructure can be modernised but the concept is of providing no-frills airports.
India has signed open skies agreement with many countries, including Guyana, Jamaica, Spain and Finland to name a few, to increase the connectivity. What it means for AAI?
It is indeed advantageous for our countrymen. India's airport expansion which has been on for a few years now may not be world class but we are quite ahead of many countries as far as our infrastructure capability is concerned. The new policies of Indian government do not directly impact us. However, when travellers from these countries come into India and see Indian airports like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru which are just superb, it will create goodwill for us. At present we have capacity of handling 250 million passengers but the demand is of 190 million per annum. We know it's going to grow so we need to be ready to cater to new lot of passengers.
AAI being one of the largest infra construction agency after NHAI. What is AAI’s role in job creation?
See we are not a large employer per se but we are a very big employment generator. When an airport comes to a city, a large number of services are required. Architects, labour, electricians, contractors and then when it becomes operational with a few airlines starting their flights, you require a large number of vendors from restaurants, book stalls, cab services and then security personnel, technical staff, to many others. This way airports create indirect employment for lakhs of people. More airports mean more jobs.
What are your plans for the near future?
Our aim is to create a viable and efficient network of airports across the country which is not easy. Building an airport takes lot of time due to land acquisition by state governments and other issues. But we are going to make PM's dream a reality in a few years. At some places we will have smaller airports, some would be international facilities and some airstrips to be upgraded. PM had, keeping in mind tourism, announced a package of Rs 27 million for a few airports for Bihar state, which is our priority. These include a new airport at Patna plus Gaya and Purnea. Then, a few airports need upgradation which also is in our plan and we have sufficient budgetary support for the same— capital expenditure of close to Rs 175 billion up to 2021. In Orissa we are planning a few airports. In the North East, there will be few airports which again is a priority region of the Government. Pakyong in Sikkim is a greenfield project. New terminal buildings at Agartala, Guwahati, Leh, Gorakhpur, Trichy and Imphal are being planned and are at various stages. Things are happening here at a breakneck speed.