The new airport in Ayodhya will be named Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya Dham, as per sources. The airport will be inaugurated along with the railway station by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, December 30, ahead of the consecration of Ram-Lalla’s idol at the temple on January 22, 2024.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has built the airport terminal building spread across 6,500 metres at a cost of ₹350 crore. The newly constructed airport will purportedly be able to serve 600 passengers per hour at peak hours and a million passengers per year, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The airport has also been granted an Aerodrome Licence in the public use category for all weather conditions. This will be the 10th overall and fourth international airport in Uttar Pradesh.
The airport has a 2,200m long runway with complete Aeronautical Ground Lights (AGLs) infrastructure and is supported by DVOR & Instrument Landing System (ILS) which allows the aerodrome to accommodate flights at night and during low visibility/RVR 550m, AAI stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
IndiGo, Air India Express to operate maiden flights
Leading budget carrier IndiGo will operate the inaugural flight from the Ayodhya airport. Its maiden flight from Delhi to Ayodhya is expected to land on December 30. IndiGo will start commercial operations for the direct route between Delhi and Ayodhya on January 6, 2024, followed by tri-weekly flights connecting Ahmedabad and Ayodhya starting January 11, 2024.
Meanwhile, Air India Express has also announced the commencement of services from the Ayodhya International Airport. Ayodhya will be the airline's 45th destination and third operational sector in Uttar Pradesh.
Air India Express, a subsidiary of the Tata group's Air India, will operate its inaugural flight, IX 2789, from Delhi at 11 am on December 30, 2023. The flight will land at the Ayodhya airport at 12.20 pm.
The return flight, IX 1769, will depart from Ayodhya at 12.50 pm and arrive in New Delhi at 2.10 pm.
Air India Express will start its daily scheduled services from January 16, 2024.
The airline will also connect Ayodhya to other destinations such as Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Kochi, Guwahati, Goa, Gwalior, Jaipur, Pune, Surat, Srinagar, and Sharjah.
In a statement, the company said that the launch underlines its commitment to enhancing connectivity from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India as it anticipates growth in Ayodhya, attracting pilgrims and travellers from near and far.
First Published: Dec 28, 2023 9:57 PM IST
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