The runway which is designed to easily accommodate the B-747 aircraft is 4,000 metres long and 60 meters wide, including shoulders. The airport layout design allows a second parallel runway within the site and the separation distance between the two runways will be 1,925 metres, allowing for safe runway operations.

The new airport also boasts of four airfield fire-fighters that have been procured from Austria. These crash fire vehicles, called the Panthers, have been procured for security purposes and a special capability for off road driving. They can go from 0 kmph to 80 kmph in less than 30 seconds.

These vehicles have a capacity of 12,500 litres of water and 1,500 litres of foam compound. The Panthers are also equipped with long-range monitors, fire-fighting equipment, infra red cameras and reverse cameras.

Authorities say that the airport shall provide protection corresponding to Aerodrome Category IX. This would meet the rescue requirement for airports where more than 700 movements of aircraft, the size of B-747, take place within the busiest consecutive three months of the year.

The response time shall not exceed two minutes to any part of the runway and three minutes to any part of the movement area in optimum visibility and surface conditions, the authorities claim.

Image: The airfield fire-fighters, called the Panthers, procured from Austria for security purposes.