T’puram: State govt submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed Sabarimala international airport at Cheruvally, near Pathanamthitta, to Union ministry of civil aviation, in line with Centre’s July 12 deadline.A final review meeting, convened specifically to seek chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s in-principle approval for forwarding the report to Centre, cleared the DPR on July 2. The meeting was attended by chief principal secretary to chief minister K M Abraham, special officer for Sabarimala airport project V Thulasidas and transport (aviation) secretary Biju K.According to the DPR presented before the chief minister, the proposed greenfield airport will feature a 3,500-m runway along with a 3,500-m taxi track. The airport’s apron is designed to accommodate a mix of aircraft types — either two Code E and three Code C aircraft or up to seven Code C aircraft simultaneously. The terminal design includes two multiple apron ramp system aerobridges capable of handling either four Code C or two Code E aircraft simultaneously. Boeing 777-300ER (Code E), a long-range wide-body aircraft, was selected as the reference design aircraft, indicating the airport’s capacity to handle large international flights.The terminal infrastructure is designed to handle significant traffic volumes. The proposed passenger terminal building will have a built-up area of 54,000sq m and an annual handling capacity of 7 million passengers. The DPR also includes plans for a dedicated 1,200sq m cargo terminal for freight handling. A total of 2,408 acres will be needed for the airport project. Of this, 950 acres will be owned by the proposed airport company and will cover the operational area. An additional 400 acres will be commercially leased to the company for development. Govt will retain the remaining land for allied infrastructure, support services and other public purposes linked to the airport’s functioning.The estimated construction cost, excluding land acquisition expenses, is Rs 5,377 crore. The cost of acquiring land — including expenses related to resettlement and rehabilitation of affected families — is estimated at Rs 2,408 crore. Thus total project cost, considering only the land earmarked for operational use, is projected at Rs 7,047 crore. The financial model is based on a debt-equity ratio of 1.22:1. The internal rate of return (IRR) for the overall project is estimated at 15.31%, while the equity IRR — a key indicator for potential investors — is projected at 15.71%.Union ministry of civil aviation will now examine the proposal for in-principle approval. If cleared, Sabarimala airport would become Kerala’s fifth international airport, joining the ranks of Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur. State govt believes the airport will significantly reduce travel time and congestion during Sabarimala pilgrimage season and also bring long-term economic benefits to the Pathanamthitta-Kottayam-Idukki belt. Meanwhile, as part of pre-implementation steps, revenue department initiated a field survey for acquiring land for the airport. Govt set a target of completing the field survey within four months.
