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ASIA-PACIFIC AIRPORTS MAGAZINE
NEWS
NEW INDIAN AIRPORT OPERATOR The Adani Group has officially taken over responsibility for operating Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru airports in India. It will also be responsible for managing and developing each airport and their respective infrastructure for the next 50 years while former operator, Airports Authority of India (AAI), will continue to handle services such as
security, customs, immigration and plant and animal quarantine. Adani, which harbours ambitions to become a key player in the Indian market, entered the airport business with Mangaluru on October 30, adding Lucknow three days later and Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI Airport) on November 7.
AIRFIELD UPGRADE COMPLETE AT SIHANOUK Cambodia’s Sihanouk International Airport recently celebrated the completion of the extension and renovation of its runway, an upgrade that will effectively allow it to handle direct long-haul flights operated by bigger aircraft. The airport, which serves as the gateway to the country’s main seaside resort, now boasts a 3,300m long runway, which has been strengthened and equipped with LED airfield lighting to allow it to accommodate aircraft up to the size of the B777-300ER and A350-100. Operator, Cambodia Airports, also notes that the $58 million upgrade should reduce the airport’s carbon footprint by reducing aircraft taxiing times. Alain Brun, CEO of Cambodia Airports, enthuses: “To sustain the development of Sihanoukville, an efficient airport system and increasing air connectivity are critical. APA Issue 4, 2020
“Upgrading the runway capacity provides new growth opportunities as airlines can operate bigger aircraft flying from/to more remote markets such as the European one.” Brun expects the runway to be commissioned in the last quarter of 2020, potentially allowing Sihanouk International Airport to gain the benefits of it as soon as passenger numbers pick up again. The airport has been one of the fastest growing in the Asia-Pacific region in recent times with triple digit annual growth over the last five years resulting in its throughout soaring from just 94,000 passengers in 2015 to 1.6 million last year. Sihanoukville, the city it serves, is described as a destination in the making with its deep-sea port and pristine beaches, attracting both business investors and tourists.
