UP’s Aviation Sector: Flying High with New Airports & Regional Connectivity
In two previous parts of this series here & here, we saw how road and rail projects in Uttar Pradesh are progressing rapidly. In this third & concluding part, we examine how aviation sector is being redefined with new airports and regional connectivity.
Connectivity is the key for nation’s economic progress; same applies for states as well. Yogi Adityanath seems to understand this very well and he is working on a grand plan to make every corner of the state well connected with rest of country as well as prominent industrial hubs.
For road connectivity, state is working hard to complete 3 mega expressways by next year, apart from two others planned for construction in next 3 years. Purvanchal Expressway is about to be inaugurated, while Bundelkhand Expressway & Gorakhpur Link Expressway is scheduled to be completed by early next year. Construction of Ganga Expressway Ph-1 is also expected to start very soon.
Similarly, for rail connectivity & urban mobility, multiple projects are being executed simultaneously. After delivering Lucknow & Noida Metro, 3 more cities will soon join the metro club — Kanpur, Agra & Meerut. Then, there is Delhi-Meerut RRTS project. Phase-1 of Eastern Dedicated Freight corridor is already delivered. Station redevelopment & electrification of railway lines is also on fast track.
Air connectivity too has been accorded highest priority. Host of new projects have been rolled out, which will re-define the aviation sector in the state in coming years.
Before 2017, international flights were available from only 2 airports — Lucknow & Varansi. Soon state will have FIVE international airports making UP a state with maximum numbers of international airports in the country. Three new Greenfield airports are being built currently in the state.
First in the list of new international airports is Kushinagar International Airport. Strategically situated in the city of Kushinagar where Mahatma Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana, the airport will serve thousands of Buddhist pilgrims who come to the city every year from every corner of the world. Besides Kushinagar, tourists will get easy connectivity to Kapilvastu, Shrawasti & Lumbini as well, the other holy sites of the Buddhist circuit. The increase in tourist inflow will help local economy grow massively in one of the most backward zones of the state — Purvanchal. Apart from this, the airport will provide direct connectivity to Middle East where thousands of migrant workers of this area work.
The construction of runway, approach road, peripheral road, ATC tower, fire station, drainage work and boundary wall at airport is complete & it has got approval from DGCA for international flights. A state of the art interim terminal with an area of more than 3500sqm was also completed in record five months in March this year. It has a 3200m long single runway at present which can handle B737 & A321 planes.
First international flight is expected from Sri Lanka after formal inauguration of the airport, which is expected anytime in coming weeks.
Second on the list of new international airports planned by Yogi Adityanath government is Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram Airport in Ayodhya. The airport is coming up in more than 600 acres of area, of which 377 acres have been purchased & handed over to AAI for development of the airport. Fund totaling Rs 1001 crores has been released by the state government so far. Central government also released Rs 250 crores in February this year. Construction work is going on in full swing as state government is planning to start flight operations by early next year.
Ayodhya airport is special to the people of state as well as to CM Yogi. Anticipating the large number of devotees’ arrival in Ayodhya from around the globe once construction of Shri Ram Temple is complete, state government started preparing on an aggressive plan to upgrade infrastructure & connectivity in & around Ayodhya even before the Supreme Court’s judgment in November 2019. International Airport in Ayodhya is part of this grand plan.
In first phase ATR72 operations will begin from this airport. Later, in phase-2 the airport will be upgraded to handle large planes like B777 & A320.
The third & probably most ambitious is Jewar International Airport in Gautam Buddha Nagar. To be constructed in the western most part of the state, this will be the largest airport in India once fully operational. This is strategically located in Gautam Buddha Nagar in National Capital Regional, which is a major industrial & residential hub. It will also provide better connectivity to Agra through Yamuna Expressway, which is the biggest tourist attraction for international tourists in India.
State government has approved to increase the number of runways to six from two runways initially planned. Spread over 1365 hectares, the airport is expected to handle 12mn passengers annually. The capacity will be upgraded to handle 70mn passengers annually by 2040.
Land acquisition is completed & master plan of the airport is approved by AAI. Acquired land is now handed over to the NIAL for development of the airport. Zurich International won the bid to develop this airport in 2019. Agreement between NIAL & Zurich was signed few days back. Out of Rs 2890 crores budgeted for the airport, Rs 1084 crores has been released by the government so far.
Prime Minister Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone sometime next month. First phase of construction is likely to be completed in 3 years & flight operation likely to start in 2024.
With these 3 airports, UP will move past all other states to have maximum number of international airports. All 3 are planned strategically in 3 different parts of the state — Kushinagar in Purvanchal, Ayodhya in Awadh zone & Jewar in western Paschimanchal to provide air connectivity to & from all corners of the state.
Additionally, many domestic airports are being developed in the state– both Greenfield & Brownfield.
Before 2017, state had 4 functional domestic airports- Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra & Gorakhpur. In last 4 years, it has added 4 new domestic airports- Kanpur, Hindon, Prayagraj & Bareilly. All 4 have got new terminal building along with other upgrades to handle regular flights & increased passenger load.
In just 4 years, number of active airports in the state is doubled.
Besides above 4 airports, work is at advanced stage of completion for 7 other airports. These are — Chitrakoot, Sonbhadra, Azamgarh, Shrawasti, Aligarh, Moradabad & Saharanpur. These are expected to be operational within next six months. 90% of work is completed till now for most of these airports & soon application for DGCA approval will be moved.
Another airport is planned at Lalitpur in Bundelkhand. Existing airstrip there is to be upgraded to full-fledged airport.
The locations selected for 7 new airports are very important. Some of these are industrial towns contributing majorly to MSME sector while others are religious, cultural centers. Air connectivity will hugely benefit to industrial as well as religious tourism in these cities, thereby contributing to the state’s economy.
With addition of new airports, number of flights from UP has also increased to 71 locations, up from 25 in 2017.
In all probability, by next year, state will have 18 functional airports including 4 international ones — up from total 4 in 2017, an increase of more than 400%, an extraordinary feat for any government in the country. Coupled with highways, expressways, railways & urban mobility projects, the air connectivity will push state to achieve its target of 1tn dollar economy.
Tighten your seat belts & enjoy the flight!