The Union Corporate Affairs Minister, Mr M. Veerappa Moily, has stressed need for allaying misconceptions in the minds of people regarding the airport in Mangalore.
Delivering the keynote address at a workshop on ‘Table-top airports and safety aspects', organised by the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) here on Saturday, he said that there should not be any misconceptions on the safety aspects of Mangalore airport.
Stating that Mangalore airport has been licenced by DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation), he said the runway has been constructed in accordance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation).
He said that Mangalore airport is neither the first nor the last airport to have a table-top runway. There are countless table-top runways the world over. He said that all the airports in North-East have been constructed on the hills. The Agatti airport in Lakshadweep and Port Blair in Andaman are situated in high-tide areas.
“If one is viewing table-top runways from hazardous point only, then does it mean that no airport is constructed at all such places. If that be so, then what happens to the region's development and economic growth,” he said.
Mr D. Devaraj, Regional Executive Director of Airports Authority of India, Southern Region; Mr T.S.N. Murthy, Deputy Chairman of New Mangalore Port Trust; Mr M.R. Vasudeva, Mangalore Airport Director, and Sandeep Sancheti, Director of NITK, spoke on the occasion.