Dibrugarh: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun groundwork for a proposed airport in Majuli, the world’s largest river island, dispatching a six-member technical team to scout potential sites.The AAI delegation arrived in Majuli on Tuesday and spent the day inspecting multiple locations — marking one of the earliest concrete steps toward turning the long-discussed project into reality.The visiting team comprised deputy general managers Sanjay Kaur, Khushial Singh, and Parvinder Tiwari, along with assistant general manager Gaurav Kumar, Manager Rohan Maheshwar, and assistant manager Suresh Kumar. They toured a stretch of land from Jengraimukh to Kamalabari Darbar Chapori, assessing terrain suitability, surrounding land use, connectivity to existing infrastructure, and other technical parameters that will guide the final site selection.Majuli DC Ratul Chandra Pathak accompanied the team along with officials from the police, transport, and forest departments. Calling the visit an encouraging step forward, Pathak said, “As everyone knows, there is a proposal for an airport in Majuli. Today, competent officials from the Airports Authority of India visited and inspected various potential sites we showed them to determine the most suitable location.”He added that while several sites had been reviewed, no final decision had been made. The district will await AAI’s detailed technical evaluation before settling on a location.During the visit, AAI officials outlined the technical benchmarks a site must meet. For smaller aircraft, they indicated a stretch of land roughly 3 km long and 500-600 metres wide would be required, though they advised planning with larger infrastructure in mind from the outset.“While smaller sites suit smaller planes, larger aircraft require more space. We aim to plan for a larger infrastructure from the beginning and arrange the required land based on their recommendations,” Pathak said, signalling that the district is thinking beyond a basic airstrip toward a facility capable of handling bigger flights.He said the final site choice will depend on further technical studies, including analysis of wind patterns, temperature data, and runway alignment, expected to lie between 30° and 40° relative to true north. “Once the analysis is complete, we will proceed with the location recommended as most suitable by the team,” Pathak said.The Majuli airport is one of four new airports announced by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in Feb this year, alongside proposed facilities in Diphu, Umrangso, and Manas, as part of a broader push to expand air connectivity across the state.If the project moves forward, it is expected to boost tourism to Majuli, offering visitors quicker, more direct access to the island — famed for its Vaishnavite satras — which is currently reachable only by ferry.
