The UT government is fast-tracking the expansion of the Puducherry Airport runway, while the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has been preparing a detailed project report (DPR) according to the revised master plan finalised by the government. The current runway is capable of handling smaller aircraft. It is proposed to be expanded to accommodate larger aircraft. Puducherry Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, K Lakshminarayanan, told the media that the technical team of AAI visited Puducherry in January 2022 and assessed the minimum land requirement and other infrastructure needed. The master plan has been prepared, which includes the land acquisition of 30 acres in Puducherry and 395 acres in Tamil Nadu in two phases. In phase one, the runway will be extended by 1760 m x 45 m, which involves the land acquisition of 150.5 acres, of which 30 acres are in Puducherry and 121.5 acres in Tamil Nadu. In phase two, 273.5 acres of land will be acquired in Tamil Nadu. TN government has already identified 370.13 acres of land, with an initial cost estimate of Rs 300 crore. Of the total 30 acres of land required from the Puducherry airport extension, 28.5 acres have been identified, of which around 20 acres are with the Puducherry government. The remaining 8.5 acres in Puducherry are private land, and there are around 60 residential buildings. The estimated cost of the land acquisition for the entire runway expansion will be around Rs 425 crore. The UT Ministry of Home Affairs said the revised master plan with minimum land requirement conveyed by AAI and cost estimation proposal for land acquisition from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry governments. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in April and May, respectively, requested AAI to finish a DPR duly vetted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for further action. The central government has already approved funding for the project. Image Source Also read: Govt to expand Puducherry Airport - K Lakshminarayanan