By NE NOW NEWS

Guwahati: The long-pending expansion of Shillong's Umroi Airport, a key air connectivity hub for Meghalaya, is likely to be delayed by around two to three months as it is still awaiting final clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Officials familiar with the matter said all other required permissions have already been obtained, but approval from the aviation regulator is yet to be granted.

The DGCA is expected to examine safety measures and construction plans in detail before giving the go-ahead, to ensure safe and smooth airport operations during the expansion work.

KCC Buildcon Pvt Ltd has been assigned the responsibility for carrying out the airport expansion work. The company has already begun setting up manpower and bringing in heavy construction equipment at the site in preparation for the project.

The development work is expected to take around 15 months after it formally begins. Once completed, the upgraded airport will be capable of handling larger aircraft, which is likely to improve air connectivity for Shillong as well as other parts of Meghalaya.

As part of the expansion project, the airport terminal will be expanded to cover an area of 10,500 square metres. The runway is also set to be lengthened to support operations of larger aircraft.

The upgraded airport will come with a range of modern facilities. These will include aerobridge connectivity, central air-conditioning, a bigger aircraft parking apron, and improved passenger amenities designed to match standards seen at major airports across India.

Plans are also in place to add basic passenger facilities like an ATM and a food kiosk outside the terminal in the coming period.

Shillong Airport continues to function with basic infrastructure constraints. Due to runway and facility limitations, operations are restricted to ATR-72 aircraft, which in turn reduces both flight frequency and the number of destinations served.