The first phase of under-construction Ayodhya international airport will be ready by December 15, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath today said.
Yogi conducted an inspection of ‘Maryada Purushottam Shriram International Airport’ site in the temple town. He was accompanied by union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and union minister of state for civil aviation Gen V K Singh (retired).
Talking to the media, Yogi noted Ayodhya is emerging as an epitome of New India, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the sacred city of Lord Ram.
“Initially, Ayodhya had a modest airstrip spanning 178 acres, but now, it is being redeveloped as a major international airport,” he added.
The state government provided 821 acres for the airport project and the civil work is progressing on a war-footing under the supervision of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Meanwhile, Scindia highlighted efforts were being made to reflect the cultural ethos of Ayodhya through the airport.
In the first phase, a 65,000 square foot terminal is under construction, with a capacity to handle 2-3 flights per hour.
A 2,200 meter runway will facilitate the landing of big aircraft like Boeing 737, Airbus 319 and Airbus 320 in addition to smaller airplanes.
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Now, preparations are underway to seek approval from the cabinet for the second phase, wherein the length of the runway will be increased to 3,700 meters. This would allow international aircraft such as Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 to land directly in Ayodhya.