The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has picked up the pace to complete the under-construction international airport in Ayodhya by June 2023.
With the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya slated to be completed by December 2023, the completion of the project work of the airport would be a significant move.
“52 per cent of the development work has been completed and the overall project work of Ayodhya airport in Uttar Pradesh is expected to be completed by June next year”, AAI said in a release.
The Maryada Purshottam Shri Ram International Airport, located 8 kilometres from the Ram temple, is coming up on one side of the Gorakhpur-Lucknow national highway.
While the target for completion of the first phase was scheduled for December 2022, it was later pushed to March 2023. The operational part and licensing will be initiated once the project work is completed by June next year.
Long Due Project
The upcoming airport is being upgraded from the existing government airstrip. An MoU was signed in 2014 with the AAI for upgrade of the existing airport but the project could not take off.
Finally in 2022, Ayodhya Civil Enclave was handed over by the State government to AAI to develop a full-fledged airport in Ayodhya district
The state’s civil aviation department signed a lease agreement with the AAI for transfer of 318 acres of land for the upcoming airport in April this year.
The government of Uttar Pradesh is providing extra land free of cost for the further expansion and for the construction of a terminal.
2200-mtr Runway
According to the statement by AAI, the airport development project worth Rs 242 Crore includes the construction of a terminal building and the development of airside facilities like widening and expansion of the runway, etc.
The first phase involves extension of runway from existing 1500 metre length and 30-metre width to 2200-metre length and 45-metre width. Further an apron with space to park three airbus passenger aircraft along with isolation bay is also being developed in the first phase of the project.
The strengthening of Runway and apron is being done to cater for Code C aircraft (A- 321). In the second phase of the project, the runway length of of 2,200 metres will be further extended to 3,125 metres.
A Pre-Engineered / Prefabricated terminal building with a total area of 6000 square meters is also being developed to serve 300 passengers during peak hours with an annual handling capacity of six lakh passengers.
The first phase of the Airport is for domestic operations only, while the second phase is meant for international operations.
Ram-Mandir Based Theme
The Terminal Building of the upcoming Ayodhya Airport is being envisaged as a structure that pays homage to the grand Ram Mandir. The terminal design will lend the passengers a sense of spirituality right from the moment they enter the building.
The roof of the terminal is proposed to be adorned with Shikharas, of varying heights to convey a sense of grandeur to the structure. Along with the varying shikharas, the terminal will have decorative columns displaying important events from the story of Ramayana pictorially.
The glass facade of the terminal will be designed to recreate a sense of being in the very palace of Ayodhya.
With the grand Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya likely to be opened by early 2024, the new airport in the temple town will help make it a tourism hub of international standards.