AAI starts work on ₹3,500-cr airport projects in NE

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has taken up ₹3,500 crore projects for the expansion and upgrading of airports in the north-eastern states, where 13 airports are currently operational, said Regional Executive Director, AAI, Sanjiv Jindal. He informed that the agency has allocated ₹1,250 crore for Guwahati airport, ₹650 crore for Imphal (Manipur), ₹500 crore for Agartala (Tripura), ₹650 crore for a greenfield airport at Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh, and ₹450 crore for the Lengpui Airport in Mizoram and other airports in the region. The AAI has been trying to complete the projects of ₹3,500 crore at the earliest with all the modern facilities as several international airliners have shown interest in operating flights from the region, including wide-body/large aircraft. From the tourism point of view, there is a huge scope of developing air connectivity between the north-east and other countries such as China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Myanmar and Bangladesh.