State government identifies 5 sites for Rameswaram airport

In a significant development, the State government is looking to finalise a site to establish the Rameswaram airport in Ramanathapuram district, with five sites being identified so far.

This comes four months after Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced that an airport would be set up in the area, with the aim of improving infrastructure and boosting tourism in the economically backward parts of south Tamil Nadu.

These five sites will soon be narrowed down to three, and the Airports Authority of India is likely to prepare a pre-feasibility report, weighing the pros and cons of each site. Based on this report, the government may single out a site by next year.

“Nearly 700 acres will be required for establishing the Rameswaram airport. We are thinking of an airport with one runway, and capable of handling Code C aircraft,” a source said.

Once the feasibility report is ready, an Obstacle Limitation Surfaces survey will be carried out to inspect the height of the surrounding buildings and to check the viability of flight operations in the proposed sites.

Rameswaram witnesses a flurry of tourists round the year, not only from the State, but also from north India, said S.P. Rajendran, chairman, Travel Agents Association of India, South Tamil Nadu Chapter. Most of them take a flight to Madurai, followed by a three-hour drive to reach Rameswaram.

“Thousands of people visit the Ramanathaswamy temple as well as Dhanushkodi. There are many who first head to Varanasi, and then come to Rameshwaram to complete their spiritual journey. Foreign tourists will particularly benefit from the expansion of air connectivity to Rameswaram,” he added.

Mohammed Afzal, chair, tourism committee, The Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry and managing director, Parveen Travels, says once the airport is established, there will be an influx of tourists, and this will give a much-needed boost to the local economy of the region.

“The business community will be keen to explore the opportunities presented by an airport in the vicinity, and this could attract a lot of investments in the long run. Both direct and indirect job opportunities will arise,” he added.