Surat: A significant operational milestone was achieved at Surat International Airport on Thursday as the newly built parallel taxi track (PTT) and five new aircraft parking bays were commissioned. The arrival of the first scheduled flight today marked the inaugural use of the PTT at the airport. This development comes six years after the contract for the PTT was awarded, with several hurdles being negotiated along the way.
Until now, only a portion of the PTT was being used. With the commencement of full-length operations, there will be a substantial improvement in aircraft operational efficiency. The new PTT will reduce runway occupancy time, facilitate smoother ground movement, and enhance overall operational capacity.
Surat airport director A N Sharma told TOI: "With the fully operational parallel taxi track, aircraft will be able to vacate the runway more quickly after landing, while the taxiing process for departing aircraft will also become more organized and faster. This will improve safety, capacity, and efficiency of airside operations."
The five new parking bays will increase the airport's capacity, enabling it to more effectively meet the growing requirements of aircraft movement and night parking. This is highly important in view of the rapid expansion of the Surat airport.
However, the PTT and parking bays come while the aviation industry is in a rough patch. Just a few months ago, Surat was operating 38 flights each day, but that number has now fallen to 24 flights, with no international operations.
