MUMBAI:After starting construction of a helipad at his Seawind residence at Cuffe Parade, Reliance Industries Limited chief Mukesh Ambani now wants to build an airport in Raigad district.
Ambani, who has a fleet of private jets including an Airbus 319, is developing the MahaMumbai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the district and has identified a site in Uran for the airport.
Although details of the project are not known, an official of the Navi Mumbai SEZ Private Limited, a Reliance Group company, confirmed the development and said the company was examining the feasibility of an airport. "'We are looking at it (an airport) as one of the possibilities. It is in a preliminary stage," the official said, refusing to elaborate.
Indications are that the proposed Ambani airport could be for private use.
The Centre has already given its go-ahead for the Navi Mumbai airport to be developed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation, but the project is still to get an environmental clearance.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told Mumbai Mirror over the phone that the government would permit a private airport (for non-scheduled and charter operations) near Mumbai but added that he had not received any proposal for a private airport.
Sources said the Ambanis owns several planes and helicopters. These planes are parked at the Mumbai airport, which is congested and has little additional parking space.
Recently, a team of officers of the Airports Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation inspected the site at Uran to examine operational aspects of the airport. The AAI's no-objection clearance is required from the point of view of air traffic management, and the purpose of the inspection was to examine the feasibility of an airport and aspects such as the required runway length and alignment, air traffic procedures, obstructions in approach path etc. According to government sources, the site in Uran is a marshland and is being reclaimed. However, there are some problems with the site, they said, adding a railway line passes closeby.
"Airbus A-320 requires a minimum of 6500-7000 feet of runway. Although land is available for construction of runway of that length, there are hills surrounding the site. There is an obstruction in the approach path. All the runways have safe landing points, which are marked.
However, in Uran, because of the hills, the safe touchdown point will have to be provided much further from the tip of the runway. Thus even a runway with 7000 feet won't be sufficient for landing of an A-320," an official said.
Sources said because of these factors, there could be restrictions on the take-off load. However, the AAI is still to give its final report on the feasibility of the Uran site.
Ambani, who has a fleet of private jets including an Airbus 319, is developing the MahaMumbai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the district and has identified a site in Uran for the airport.
Although details of the project are not known, an official of the Navi Mumbai SEZ Private Limited, a Reliance Group company, confirmed the development and said the company was examining the feasibility of an airport. "'We are looking at it (an airport) as one of the possibilities. It is in a preliminary stage," the official said, refusing to elaborate.
Indications are that the proposed Ambani airport could be for private use.
The Centre has already given its go-ahead for the Navi Mumbai airport to be developed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation, but the project is still to get an environmental clearance.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told Mumbai Mirror over the phone that the government would permit a private airport (for non-scheduled and charter operations) near Mumbai but added that he had not received any proposal for a private airport.
Sources said the Ambanis owns several planes and helicopters. These planes are parked at the Mumbai airport, which is congested and has little additional parking space.
Recently, a team of officers of the Airports Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation inspected the site at Uran to examine operational aspects of the airport. The AAI's no-objection clearance is required from the point of view of air traffic management, and the purpose of the inspection was to examine the feasibility of an airport and aspects such as the required runway length and alignment, air traffic procedures, obstructions in approach path etc. According to government sources, the site in Uran is a marshland and is being reclaimed. However, there are some problems with the site, they said, adding a railway line passes closeby.
"Airbus A-320 requires a minimum of 6500-7000 feet of runway. Although land is available for construction of runway of that length, there are hills surrounding the site. There is an obstruction in the approach path. All the runways have safe landing points, which are marked.
However, in Uran, because of the hills, the safe touchdown point will have to be provided much further from the tip of the runway. Thus even a runway with 7000 feet won't be sufficient for landing of an A-320," an official said.
Sources said because of these factors, there could be restrictions on the take-off load. However, the AAI is still to give its final report on the feasibility of the Uran site.
