AAI sanctions ₹242-cr for Ayodhya airport

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has sanctioned ₹242 crore for the airport project in Ayodhya. The UP Government has already approved ₹101 crore for the Maryada Purushottam Sriram Airport in the holy city. The airport, which is being built on an area of 270 acres, will benefit visitors and pilgrims to a greater extent. Union aviation minister H S Puri informed that ATR72 operations will begin in the first phase of the project and an additional land (558 acres) is being acquired by the state government for further upgrading the airport for operation of wide-bodied aircraft in phase-2.

Ayodhya airport will also have seaplane connectivity. In January this year, the Sagarmala Development Company (SDCL), which comes under the shipping and waterways ministry, had issued an expression of interest (EoI) for seaplane services on several routes including Delhi's Yamuna riverfront and Ayodhya. The routes under this Sagarmala Seaplane Service are likely to be operated under the government's subsidized 'ude desh ka aam nagrik' (UDAN) scheme.