For the first time, India will have a runway on a sea bridge.
The Airport Authority of India has got a green signal to construct its first runway on a sea bridge. The proposed sea bridge will extend to Lakshadweep’s Agatti Airport. The construction will be carried by building an RCC platform on the shallow area and beach. This will contribute to operate larger regional air traffic to the island.
Current Scenario
In the present scenario,small turboprops operate in the island. Building of the sea bridge can be long enough to facilitate regional air traffic. The costing of the project is likely to cost approximately Rs 1,500 crore. The project involves erecting pillars the shallow sea and beach and building the RCC platform.
Airfare to and from Agatti airport is high as ATR-72 aircraft are operating with load penalty. This also has limit to carry 50 passengers with allowable weight of 15 kgs. Building of the sea bridge will reduce the fares to an affordable level.
There was a proposed sea bridge plan for Juhu airport in Mumbai and Kullu but could not be implemented as its was not feasible. This makes Agatti Airport the first airport in India to have a sea bridge for its runway.
