Commissioning of the Kannur international airport will be further delayed over the publication of details of regulations, procedures, and other information pertinent to the operation of aircraft as mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).
With this, commercial flight operations from the fourth international airport in the State will not materialise on October 29 as planned when the winter schedule for airlines will kick in.
“The Kannur airport is technically ready and the aerodrome licence to commence flight operations is expected before October 4. But, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in consultation with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will have to publish the AIP after issuing the licence,” official sources told The Hindu .
Airlines can finalise the flight plan only after the AIP is published. The AIP, to be published by the Air Traffic Management wing of the AAI, contains details of regulations, procedures, and other information pertinent to the operation of aircraft.
Establishment of the Kannur control area will be effective from November 8 and the aerodrome data from December 6, indicating that commercial flight operations, domestic and international, are unlikely before December.
The Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedure needs to be publicised separately for the benefit of pilots and it is the third integral part of the API as per the ICAO norms.
For publishing the ILS procedure, trial flights have to be carried out again in Kannur. Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) has received communication in this regard from the AAI on Thursday, the sources said.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has accorded the crucial ‘security clearance’ for the airport. The Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Range has been calibrated.
The commissioning of the airport, built at an estimate of ₹2,292 crore, is likely to figure at the annual general body meeting of KIAL to be chaired by the Chief Minister here on Saturday.
