The Maharishi Valmiki International Ayodhya Airport, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, was constructed in a record time of 20 months, said Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairperson Sanjeev Kumar. We are happy that it was constructed in a record 20 months.
I hope people across the country will be happy too,” said Kumar. Earlier, the PM arrived from New Delhi in the Indian Air Force’s Rajdoot- a 16-year-old Boeing 737-700 BBJ that was designated as ‘India One’ for an official visit to Ayodhya.
The airport has a 2,245m-long and 45m-wide runway with IFR (Instrument Flight Rules), CAT-1 for poor visibility in foggy weather, DVOR a homing gate system used for standard International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) ground-based radio navigational aid that provides bearing information to aircraft to define air traffic control routes for enroute.
The AAI had undertaken the development of the airport as per an MoU signed with the Uttar Pradesh government in April 2022.
In the second phase for the international operation, the runway will be expanded up to 3,750m with a second terminal to be constructed on a 50,000 sqm area that will serve 4,000 passengers during peak hours and 60 lakh passengers annually. A total of 18 aircraft could be parked once the airport is expanded.
“The extended runway will be able to handle long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner Boeing 777 and Airbus 350,” said civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia after the inauguration of the airport.
The airport is spread across a total of 821.34 acres of land. Currently, the domestic terminal has been constructed on 8,000 sqm area. The first phase of the airport has been developed at Rs 1450 crore, which includes the construction of the terminal building, ATC tower, fire station, parking for eight aircraft and allied city-side infrastructure.
On December 14, DCGA had given a licence for commercial operations at Ayodhya airport, which can handle up to eight Airbus 320, 321 or Boeing 737 max series – single aisle 200-seater aircraft.”The development of Ayodhya airport will also facilitate businesses and pilgrimage tourism throughout the year and improve the overall economy of the region.