27 October
IN an attempt to reduce travel delays and carry out emergency rescue works, an airport is being implemented by the Department of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Transport and Communications on a 1290-acre of land in Falam Township, Chin State and the much-needed infrastructure project is scheduled to be completed by 2020, according to a source from the local government.
The airport is being developed in Falam, a far-flung area which is located at an altitude of 6,000 ft above sea level in mountainous and hard-to-reach Chin State. The Surbung Airport, the first of its kind in Chin State is under construction with some $ 2 million and more than Ks 32 billion allocated by the Union Government, according to the Chin State’s Ministry of Road Transport. Construction of the airport that will become an entry and exit point of Chin State was approved by the Union Government. The airport project had originally been slated for completion in 2021. A feasibility study for the airport began in 2013 and construction works started in 2016. The runway of the airport is 6000 ft. long and it is scheduled to be operational in May 2020. As part of the project, a retaining wall and a 30 ft. long runway have already been built.
Arrangements are being made to build terminals, air-port offices and other facilities in the project area during the open season and necessary construction materials are purchased from Kalay in Sagaing Region, said an official who is tasked with overseeing the airport project. The first phase of the airport project is expected to be completed ahead of the open season and to be fully functional in 2020, said an official from the local government. The aircrafts will conduct test flights in early 2020 as some parts of the air-port’s runway had already been built, he added. “As a runway that is 6000 ft in length and 100 ft in width is almost completed, the planes will con-duct test flights depending on the weather conditions. We have already sought approval from the Union Government for conducting test flights at the airport. Construction of the airport’s runway will finalize soon,” he said.
He went on to say that similar airports will be built in Loilempi, Thangtalang and Tiddim in Chin State. As the project is almost completed, the airport will be commissioned into service soon. The permitted weight of the runway is 50,000 pounds and aircrafts such as ATR-72 are allowed to land at the airport. The local government official continued that the number of tourists travelling to Chin State, which is home to Myanmar’s heart-shaped Reed Lake and Nat Ma Taung, which is one of the ultra prominent peaks of Southeast Asia and has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage List is expected to rise significantly when the airport project is finished as schedule. Asked if he thought the airport project would benefit Chin State, he said it would help uplift socioeconomic status of local people and boost tourism industry in the region, thereby contributing ethnic people to connect with the rest of the country.
The local government is committed to stepping up developmental tasks and poverty alleviation schemes to make Chin State which still remains one of the least developed are-as of Myanmar a secure, prosperous and stable region, he added. Once in full operational, local people in Chin State will be able to travel to popular destinations such as Reed Lake, Haka, Thangtalang, and Tiddim in a short period of time. In addition the airport will be-come an aerial gateway of Chin State and enable the tourists to visit Chin State in a short time. Chin State which is famous for its unspoiled natural beauties, breathtaking mountainous terrain, tattooed ethnic women and hospitality of local people can be visited only by motor-car in the past and the road transport is the only means of access to reach there.
Chin State will be accessible from all areas of the country within hours in all seasons with greater ease and the local people will be able to travel to other places across the country conveniently when the air-port project is completed.
By Kyaw Htike Soe
