Mantralaya sources said these objections were raised by a high-level committee comprising AAI's executive director (operations) and deputy general manager (planning) at a meeting recently with officials of the City & Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), a nodal agency for developing the airport. The committee has made it clear that building the airport will not be feasible on the 550 hectares acquired by Cidco as it is inadequate.

The committee said that the airport should have a parallel runway, which has not been included in the present project designs. It has also sought an answer to the problems arising out of simultaneous operations of the new airport and the existing one. The committee said the Matheran hills would pose steep landing slopeswith a 3.3 degree path.

However, Cidco, which will join hands with the bidder to form a special- purpose vehicle, has clarified that the land was adequate as it was almost the same o the one being used at the Mumbai airport. It has said that the 2,700-metre runway can be extended to 3,700 metres at par with international standards.

Cidco said that the airport would have airfield lighting (runway lights, taxiway lights and approach lights), navigational aids for precision instrument approaches, along with an instrumental landing system, cargo- handling facilities, maintenance hangar facilities, land-side facilities, an air-traffic control tower, a fire-fighting system, utility services, surface drainage and an aircraft-fuel system. The air-traffic controller will be properly integrated with the Mumbai system to "avoid any problems that may arise owing to simultaneous operation of this airport and Mumbai's runway".

Cidco said that the Mumbai tower would give approach and departure services for bothairports, and the two towers would have voice hotlines. It has also reiterated that the landing slope will be permissible up to 3 degrees, and 3.3 degrees in exceptional cases.

The techno-economic feasibility study conducted by the US-based Carter & Burgess Inc has suggested that the airport be built in three phases. Initially, the airport is expected to carry the excess demand that cannot be handled at the Mumbai aiport. Over the years, it is expected to be supported by its own catchment area covering Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Ambernath, Ulhasnagar, Karjat, Lonavala and Alibag.

Moreover, according to Cidco's recent feasibility study, the international airport's development was possible at the present site. The feasibility report has been submitted to the state urban development department headed by chief minister Manohar Joshi.