IMPHAL, November 19: Two days before the first international airliner is set to land at the Imphal Tulihal Airport bringing in the Myanmar delegate for the Manipur Sangai Festival, 2013, the only airport of the state has received the mandatory approval of the Director General of Civil Aviation today.
An eight member official team who will be looking into the ‘visa on arrival’ issue at the Imphal airport will be arriving at the state capital tomorrow from Kolkata, informed a reliable source.
Earlier in the day, during an inspection tour of the airport this morning, the state Works Minister had told reporters that the state has sought approval from the DGCA for the landing and departure of the Myanmar Golden Airlines free of cost so as to improve the bilateral relation of the two countries.
He said that the international airliner Myanmar Golden Airline will land at the only airport of the state on November 21 and will fly off from the state on November 24.
The state had sought free of cost approval of the landing and departure of the set inaugural flights from the Imphal Tulihal Airport, he said.
Concerned with the infrastructural development and other related issues pertaining to the functioning of the airport as an international airport from November 21, state Works Minister Dr Konthoujam Ratankumar had, this morning, inspected the infrastructural development and other related issues of the airport.
The minister accompanied by concerned officials inspected the runaway, departure and arrival terminals and other facilities at the airport.
The minister also inspected the waiting lounge inside the departure terminal where efforts are on to shift the check in counters of the airliners nearer to the waiting lounge.
A separate VIP lounge was also witnessed near the waiting lounge.
Meanwhile, answering to a query from the media regarding the visible disapproval against the government’s traffic diversion along the roads leading to the main venue of the Sangai festival, the minister appealed to the general public to bear with the temporary arrangement which has been taken up for the convenience of the public.