Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Dec 23: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has renewed the licence of the local airport for a further period till December, 2011. The licence, which had expired on June 15 this year, had not been renewed for want of certain clarifications, it is learnt. Various organizations and individuals had expressed concern about the expired licences of different airports, and had approached the concerned besides the courts. In September this year, Karnataka High Court had expressed dismay about lethargy in renewing the licences, and had sought the status of renewal applications pending with DGCA from the solicitor general of the country.

Grave concern was expressed at the routine way in which renewal of licences is being handled, as there is a possibility of claims in case of air crash and other tragedies getting rejected by insurance companies, if the licence of the airport concerned is not in force at the time of the tragedy. In case of the local airport, an aircraft had crashed there on May 22, less than a month before the airport licence was to expire.

The DGCA, it is learnt, decided to renew the licence, after getting fully satisfied about the facilities available at the local airport, and after getting report from the airport that some defects noticed by it have since been set right.

Mangalore Airport director, M R Vasudeva, said that minor discrepancies noticed by DGCA have been addressed, and that the airport meets all the norms relating to passenger and other facilities.