Jaipur-Malaysia Direct Flight To Be Possible Soon

By Saraswathi Muniappan NEW DELHI, May 23 (Bernama) -- A direct flight to Jaipur, India, from Malaysia and other countries will be possible in about 18 months when the city's airport runway extension work is completed. The Jaipur airport has at present a runway length of 9,000 ft, insufficient for big aircraft, including Boeing 747 and the Airbus A320, to operate from. "It (longer runway) will help us operate bigger aircraft," The Times of India quoted the Director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Jaipur, Paul Manickam as saying. He said airlines operating international flights to destinations including Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan, can then introduce the bigger aircraft. Although the Jaipur airport received international status in 2006 and is equipped with a new terminal building and air traffic control, it has failed to function fully as an international airport, in the absence of a runway length of 11,500 ft, the English Daily said. -- BERNAMA