The Meghalaya High Court has asked the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to file affidavits and indicate the feasibility of expanding the Shillong Airport to accommodate long-haul flights and larger aircraft to reduce time for visitors to reach the hill State.
“Both the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) were required to file affidavits indicating the feasibility of expanding the Umroi airport to accommodate long-haul flights including Boeing and like aircraft,” a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee said in an order for a hearing conducted on February 14.
The Bench also pulled the authorities concerned saying that there was no feasibility report on expanding the airport to handle long-haul flights and larger aircraft during the hearing despite the State authorities incurring a huge amount on cutting obstructing hills at a distance away from the airport.
