Coimbatore : Kongu Global Forum (KGF), a platform fighting for the cause of infrastructure development of the region, comprising seven districts of Western Tamil Nadu Friday said the planned expansion of Coimbatore Airport on 365 acres of land, instead of 625 acres, would be only a cosmetic change and not beneficial to the region.

The forum had represented to Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami, on the expansion proposal of the Airport and in its letter addressed to the Civil Aviation Ministry it was emphasised that the present expansion of the airport planned to be done on 365 acres would be a cosmetic change to the airport, a KGF release said.

It has been learnt that this would be limited to the development of the terminal building. Whereas the original proposal was to acquire 625 acres of land which would also enable the extension of the runway facilitating bigger aircraft for both passenger and cargo catering to international destinations, it said.

The KGF Directors emphasised that with the present growth rate in the aviation sector where the passenger and cargo traffic is growing at a steady pace, it will be the right moment to go for expansion of the infrastructure so that it caters to the requirements of the future to accommodate wide bodied aircraft which means increased seats and cargo capacity, the release said.

In the event of delay or scaling down on the subject shall have a cascading effect on the region as Coimbatore is the only airport that caters to the entire Kongu Region.

With a huge potential for growth, development of the airport shall be a boon to numerous industries in the region fostering growth by means of increased connectivity to international destinations and reduced travel time, the release said.