Guwahati Airport proposing to conduct flight services to smaller airports of the NE by 9 a.m.

As Guwahati and the Northeast emerge as the next business hub of the country, the need to develop reliable connectivity to the region has become urgent, more so for air connectivity.

Chief Airport Officer of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport Airport, Utpal Baruah, speaks extensively about the challenges of the airport along with Guwahati International Airport Limited (GIAL)’s vision for the development of the airport to catalyze the economic development of the region. Baruah gave a detailed presentation at the Northeast Business Conclave 2022, hosted by Business Northeast on July 16 in Guwahati.

“Business and aviation go hand-in-hand, as businesses need the support of the airport to grow and vice versa. As such airport development and economic growth are interconnected,” said Baruah.

As per a study by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, an amount of USD 100 spent on civil aviation converts to a business of USD 320 in the area. Similarly, when civil aviation employs 100 persons, it leads to the generation of 610 more job opportunities.

Baruah said that the contribution of air transport to the world economic output is 4.5 percent. “In India, a study of the Oxford Economists revealed that the direct and catalytic impact of the Indian aviation industry on the national GDP is 1.5 percent. In 2015, airports contributed Rs. 1.5 billion to the country's GDP and offered 22,000 direct employment.”

In 2014, IATA predicted the Indian aviation market, which was then at the 9th position globally, would move to the third position by 2024. Utpal Baruah stated that the position has already been attained before the predicted time.
Additionally, the global growth of domestic passengers is 5.4 percent, and the growth rate has been fastest at 21.5 percent prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This cannot be said to be the growth of airports alone, as aviation alone cannot grow without the growth of the other stakeholders," the Chief Airport Officer said.

The vision for the Development of LGBI airport: (as presented by Utpal Baruah)

On October 8, 2021, the LGBI airport was privatized and handed over to the Guwahati International Airport Limited (GIAL) of the Adani Group from the erstwhile Airport Authority of India (AAI).

“The Northeast has 24 airstrips or airports, of which only 15 are presently operational. The region is in a dire need of a reliable air transportation system.”

With the NE receiving daylight much before the rest of the country, the region is able to conduct visual flight services much earlier than the other states. This opportunity must be utilized to start flights from 9 a.m. so that passengers from smaller airports in the region can connect to Guwahati in the morning.

“The Guwahati airport is connected to the major airports of the country. Due to the lack of demand, the connectivity of smaller airports directly to major destinations through big aircraft cannot be sustainable. A bigger aircraft like Airbus 320 for destinations like Dimapur is not feasible,” said Baruah.

“Smaller airports of the NE need to be connected to the Guwahati airport by smaller planes and helicopter services, with government support, by 9 am. An early start from Guwahati to other domestic destinations can ensure an early return to Guwahati, especially for people visiting due to business and official purposes. Passengers might want to stay back in Guwahati for a night before returning to their destination,” he added.

The GIAL envisages that in the domestic sector, passengers of the northeastern states can do a roundabout trip to major cities and return to the region in a day, unlike now when they are compelled to stay back due to a shortage of time.

However, Baruah apprised that the airport operator cannot facilitate such a system without the support of several concerned agencies including the airlines, the state governments, and others.

Speaking about visions for international travel, Utpal Baruah stated that with conducive support from the government agencies and policies, the LGBI airport must be developed such that passengers from Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Rachi, and others take international flights towards the East from Guwahati, rather that people of the NE traveling to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai for international flights eastward. '

“It will save valuable time and be economically more viable than making a U-turn through major cities,” he added.

GIAL has major plans to start cargo services soon. The Chief Airport Officer said that while NE, being a sub-Himalayan region produces rare produce and has a huge market of perishable cargo like varieties of rice, tea, bhut jolokia, and other spices, fruits alongside vegetables, the region has failed in marketing these, unlike the other Asia countries.

“Surprisingly, India's share is just 1 percent of the global cargo market. We envision that jointly with the Assam government, a community of farmers must be raised to grow vegetables acceptable in the international markets. The airport will develop cargo collection centers to collect these goods overnight. Quality checks and packaging will be done and sent to major cities and across borders by 10 am. We only need a structured way of marketing and transportation. The vision is from 'pluck to pan' within 24 hours,” he said.

The Challenges of the LGBI Airport

As mentioned by Utpal Baruah, the biggest challenge of the LGBI airport is the absence of a bigger terminal. The present terminal capacity of the Guwahati airport is 450 passengers against 1300 that it handles during peak hours, leading to massive congestion. The need for a bigger terminal is urgent.
There is also the need for a parallel taxiway. On the present runway, the landing requires more runway occupation time, which brings down the entire capacity of the airport. Currently, the airport is handling only 9 aircraft with 18 movements during peak hours. A parallel taxiway will increase the capacity to 34.

LGBI also needs a Rapid Exit Taxiway(RET) and a major need to develop the Approach Lighting System (ALS). Baruah said that the Guwahati airport was started in 1958 and equipped with a category 1 instrument landing system which requires visibility of only 550 meters to land. Unfortunately, in the Guwahati airport flights need 1030 meters of visibility for landing. “This is because the ILS needs to be supported by lights along 900 meters, and we only have 180 meters. So our priority is to extend this ALS to 900mstres.”

Plans for the development of the airport:

The AAI had already initiated a project for expansion of the airport at an estimated cost of Rs. 1232 crores, which is expected to be completed by mid-2024.

The AAI has already started a project for a world-class terminal at an estimated cost of Rs. 1232 crores. We are putting in efforts to get it commissioned by mid-2024. It will be 5-times bigger than the existing one with a parallel runway. “The present length of the taxiway is 3105 meters, which will further be extended by 550 meters. The parallel taxiway will also be of equal length,” said Utpal Baruah.

To overcome the challenges of the ALS, an elevated approach lighting system will be installed in the low-lying area, i.e, the Padma lake area, of the Indian Airforce. “But beyond that area is a village, and the villagers are unwilling to cooperate.”

When completed, the LGBI airport will look like an aircraft and have 102500 sq meters of floor area on 5 floors, including the commercial area.
“We have developed the Master Plan for 50 years, which will be done in phases of 7 years. By 2034, the airport will have 59 contact stands, 30 remote stands, 6 cargo stands, and a separate general aviation terminal for small aircraft. The Master Plan is yet to be completed,” he added.

“The plan when completed will be a catalytic boost to the industry and business sector, and the tourism sector of the region,” he added.

Utpal Baruah however, said that the development of the airport alone does not ensure the economic growth of the region if the other stakeholders do not grow alongside. These include essential government services like meteorological services, health services, border control services, etc; airport services, and other support services like taxi services, catering, refueling, etc.

“We hope to turn LGBI into a global standard airport soon,” he concluded.