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Ayodhya Airport

Ayodhya Airport (IATA: AYJ, ICAO: VEAY), officially named as Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya Dham,[6] is an international airport serving the twin cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.[7][8] The airport is located adjacent to NH-27 and NH-330 at Naaka in Faizabad. The Government of Uttar Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in February 2014 for the development of the airport.[9] Construction began on the airport in February 2022, and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 December 2023, with flight operations beginning from 10 January 2024.[10][11][12][13]

Ayodhya Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of India
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesAyodhya, Faizabad
LocationFaizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Opened30 December 2023; 10 months ago (2023-12-30)[1]
Elevation AMSL102 m / 335 ft
Coordinates26°44′53″N 82°09′03″E / 26.7480337°N 82.1507812°E / 26.7480337; 82.1507812
Map
AYJ is located in Uttar Pradesh
AYJ
AYJ
Location of airport in Uttar Pradesh
AYJ is located in India
AYJ
AYJ
AYJ (India)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
11/29[2] 2,250 7,381 Concrete
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers213,015 Increase
Aircraft movements1,694 Increase
Cargo tonnage—
Source: AAI[3][4][5]

Nomenclature

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In 2021, the Government of Uttar Pradesh proposed to name of the airport after the Hindu god Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana, who is believed to be born in Ayodhya. In December 2023, the name was changed after Maharishi Valmiki, the attributed author of Ramayana, to greater represent the Ramayana-based theme of the airport.[14][15]

Development

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Proposal and approval

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In 2008, the Government of Uttar Pradesh had issued formal orders allowing the landing and parking of private aircraft on the former Indian Air Force airstrip against a fee. According to the government order, any private aircraft can land by paying ₹ 500. There would be no parking charges for the first two hours, after which ₹ 200 would be charged per day.[16]

In 2012, the former Minister of Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh, announced to develop three existing airstrips at Faizabad, Moradabad and Meerut to increase regional connectivity by air and to improve connectivity, socio-economic development and tourism in the state.[17] Singh said that the Ministry of Civil Aviation had asked the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, to provide the Ministry with land to set up nine airports across Uttar Pradesh, and said that having more airports would generate employment and economic growth in the state.[18] In an endeavour to provide air connectivity to different parts of India, development of low-cost airports is the most important component. Instructions have been issued to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to identify the most suitable low-cost model for development of smaller airports, and to develop airports in smaller cities based on this mode, as part of the government's UDAN Scheme.[19]

In 2013, the government approved the transfer of the airstrip at Faizabad to the AAI to be developed as a full-fledged airport, along with three others–Meerut, Moradabad and Saifai, on the instructions of the state cabinet. The government provided extra land free of cost for further expansion and for the construction of a terminal.[20][21][22]

Expansion and construction

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In 2018, the state government under Yogi Adityanath announced the expansion of the airstrip in Faizabad.[23] The government approved to develop it as an international airport and sanctioned ₹2 billion for acquisition of land.[23][24] Land acquisition began from November 2021 and construction began on the airport in February 2022.[10] In April 2022, the government announced that the airport would become operational before the completion of Ram Mandir in 2024.[25] The airport was completed and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 December 2023, with flight operations beginning from 10 January 2024, started by IndiGo as the first commercial airline to connect Delhi and Ahmedabad as the initial destinations.[11][12][26]

 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the airport, with the presence of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, and Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on 30 December 2023.[1]

Structure

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Runway

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The existing airstrip's runway was 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) long and 30 metres (98 ft) wide, which was capable enough for only nine-seater aircraft like the Dornier 228.[27] In 2018, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had stated that an acquisition of around 284 acres (115 ha) more land could make the airport handle 200-seater Airbus A321 aircraft.[27] In response to this, in November of the same year, the Government of Uttar Pradesh decided to acquire more than 280 acres of land around the airstrip and widen the runway to allow the landing of larger aircraft. The projected runway would be 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide, with a 100–150 m-wide set-off area on each side of the runway.[27] The construction would be done in two phases, with a planned third phase. The length of the runway would be 2,250 metres in the first phase, while in the second phase, its length would be increased to 3,125 metres. In the third phase, it is planned to be extended by another 625 metres, thus taking the overall length to 3,750 metres, making the airport capable of handling large aircraft like the Airbus A380. The runway is equipped with facilities to allow night landing of aircraft, such as the Instrument Landing System (ILS), Doppler Very-high frequency Omnidirectional Range (DVOR) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) from the first phase of the runway development only.[28][2]

Terminals

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Terminal 1

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Terminal 1 is the first terminal of the airport as part of the first phase of the airport's development. It covers an area of 6,500 sq.m. and is able to accommodate 300 passengers during peak hours and handle around 1 million passengers annually. It has an apron suitable for parking of four Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 type aircraft. Within its premises, it has parking spaces for vehicles, an approach road from the nearby highway, a fuel farm, a fuel station, a fire station, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and other ancillary facilities. The terminal, along with the first phase of the airport, started handling flights from 10 January 2024.[13][26][29]

Terminal 2

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Terminal 2 will be the second terminal of the airport as part of the second phase of the airport's development. It will cover an area of 30,000 sq.m., which will be later expanded to 50,000 sq.m., and will be able to accommodate 3,200 passengers during peak hours and over 5-7 million passengers annually. It will have eight aerobridges and an apron suitable for parking of eight Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 type aircraft, both of which will be increased to 16 as part of the planned third phase of the airport's development. Within its premises, in front of its entrance, it will have a garden for recreation of passengers as a green space and a larger parking space than Terminal 1, along with utility facilities. As of November 2023, the terminal, along with the second phase of the airport's development, is under bidding process.[29][30][31]

Terminal 3

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Terminal 3 will be the third terminal of the airport as part of the third and final phase of the airport's development. It will cover an area of more than 50,000 sq.m. and will be able to accommodate more passengers than terminals 1 and 2. It will have an apron suitable for parking of eight widebody aircraft like the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 to handle international operations. Within its premises, it will have the same garden and parking spaces like Terminal 2, but, both will cover more area as compared to Terminal 2. It will also have a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower that will be taller and bigger than the one developed in the first phase of the airport's development, along with a bigger fire station and utility facilities.[29][31]

Facilities

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    Interior of the airport, with two departure gates leading to the apron
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    Departures area of the airport

In the first phase of the airport's development, the terminal has passenger facilities such as 9 check-in counters, 3 conveyor belts, two lounges to serve passengers and tactile paths to the apron. Outside the terminal, there are four parking spaces for vehicles, a service and utility area, a four-lane approach road to the NH-27 that connects to Faizabad and Ayodhya, a fire station, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, a technical block, a fuel farm, will have three medium-scale hotels, four upper-scale hotels among other ancillary and technical facilities. In the second and third phases of the airport's development, further facilities will be added to make the airport at par with international standards. A medical college will also be established between terminals 2 and 3, as part of the airport's master plan created by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).[11][29]

Features

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    Intricate paintings on the wall depicting the life of Rama and the stories of Ramayana

The airport has been designed to portray the local, as well as the state's culture and heritage, in order to make the visitors know about the spiritual, religious and historical influence the city of Ayodhya wields on the Indian society. The designs are etched as murals, artworks and engraved scriptures adorning in the Nagara style of temple architecture, depicting the symbolism of the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The architectural style has been adopted also to symbolise the Ram Mandir. The "bow and arrow" mural with portraits of Rama near the terminal's entrance along with other artworks are one of the prime themes in the exterior. Built with red stone, the carved pillars from the entrance to the inside of the terminal provide an excellent mixture of the old temple architecture with modern infrastructure. The roof of the terminal, measuring 65,000 sq.ft., is supported by seven big columns, symbolising the seven kandas (books) of Ramayana. Like ancient temples, the terminal has a rectangular base with carved pillars and a shikhara on its top to symbolise a temple structure. The terminal uses clean energy to generate electricity and follows sustainable measures to dispose waste, conserve water, and hence, is an eco-friendly airport.[32]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Air India Express[33] Bangalore,[34] Delhi,[35] Jaipur[34]
Akasa Air[36] Delhi, Bangalore
Alliance Air Dehradun[37]
IndiGo[26] Ahmedabad, Delhi, Hyderabad,[38] Mumbai[39][better source needed]
SpiceJet Ahmedabad ,[citation needed] Delhi, Mumbai[40][better source needed][41][better source needed]

Project timeline

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Date Details Refs.
12 August 2020 Nand Gopal Gupta, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said Rs 525 crore has been approved and of this Rs 300 crore have been spent so far. [8]
16 September 2020 Airports Authority of India projected land requirement of 478.1 acres to Government of Uttar Pradesh for development of the airport in Phase - I. [42]
10 March 2021 Airports Authority of India sanctions Rs 242 crore to develop airport and an area of around 270 acres has been made available by Government of Uttar Pradesh. [43]
8 April 2022 Government of Uttar Pradesh's civil aviation department signed a lease agreement with Airports Authority of India for transfer of 317.855 acres of land. Yogi Adityanath said the remaining 86 acres land required for the airport will also be handed over soon. [44]
6 December 2022 The airport's terminal is 45% and the runway is 45% completed, and is on track for completion in December 2023. [45]
2 December 2023 It was announced that the airport's first phase of work will be completed by 15 December 2023. [46]
12 December 2023 It was announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the airport on 30 December 2023, and commercial flights will be started by IndiGo to Delhi and Ahmedabad from 10 January 2024. [12][47]
23 December 2023 The initial schedule for this flight was to depart from Delhi at 10:00 AM and land in Ayodhya at 11:20 AM, but according to the new schedule for the inauguration day on 30 December, the flight for Ayodhya from Delhi will now take off at 9:50 AM, with the first flight landing in Ayodhya at 11:00 AM. According to the information, after the first flight on 30 December, this flight will be operational from 10 January onwards. Subsequently, there will be daily flights from Ayodhya to Delhi at the same time, and more destinations in India starting from the same month, to be operated by Air India Express and IndiGo. [48][49]
30 December 2023 The first phase of the airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. [13][1]

Connectivity

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Road

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A 3.2 km (2.0 mi)-long four-lane approach road connects the airport directly with the city premises through NH-27, running towards the western side to Ayodhya.

Rail

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Faizabad Junction railway station

The nearest railway station from the airport is Faizabad Junction railway station, located only 6.8 km (4.2 mi) away to the north-west in Faizabad, while Ayodhya Junction railway station is located 14.8 km (9.2 mi) away to the north-east in Ayodhya.

Bus

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The nearest bus station from the airport is Faizabad Bus Depot, located only 5 km (3.1 mi) away to the north-west in Faizabad, while Ayodhya Dham Central Bus Station is located 16 km (9.9 mi) away to the north-east in Ayodhya.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "PM Modi inaugurates Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya". The Hindu BusinessLine. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Development of Ayodhya Airport–Phase II Plan". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Ayodhya airport is now Maharishi Valmiki International Airport". Hindustan Times. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  7. ^ Pande, Alka S (28 July 2007). "Maya to hand over airstrips to private entities". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. ^ a b Kalhans, Siddharth (12 August 2020). "Ayodhya airport set to become international, to be expanded by 600 acres". Business Standard. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  9. ^ "MoU Signed for Development of Airports in UP". Press Information Bureau. 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  10. ^ a b "AAI begins construction of Maryada Purshottam Shri Ram Airport in Ayodhya". Zee News. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Sen, Anindita (12 December 2023). "Ayodhya airport to be ready soon! PM Modi to inaugurate; flight operations to begin before Ram Temple inauguration". The Financial Express. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b c "IndiGo to operated inaugural flight to Ayodhya on December 30 from THESE airports: Check routes, schedule". Zee Business. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  13. ^ a b c "PM Modi inaugurates new airport in Ayodhya ahead of Ram Temple consecration on Jan 22". India Today. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  14. ^ "UP Assembly passes resolution to name Ayodhya airport after Lord Ram". Hindustan Times. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  15. ^ Parashar, Devendra; Jaiswal, Arushi (29 December 2023). "Ayodhya airport named as Maharishi Valmiki International Airport ahead of inauguration by PM Modi". India TV. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  16. ^ Pande, Alka S (18 April 2008). "Airstrips open to private aircraft in UP". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Development not on agenda in UP for last 20 years: Ajit Singh". The Economic Times. PTI. 21 December 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  18. ^ Singh, Sanjay (28 December 2012). "Aviation Minister Ajit Singh to put brakes on airfares, will introduce a mechanism to curb soaring prices". India Today. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Year-End-Review of the Ministry of Civil Aviation for the Year 2012". Ministry of Civil Aviation. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Decks clear for air travel to three districts". The Times of India. 4 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Shelved by Maya, Akhilesh nod to develop Meerut airstrip as airport". The Indian Express. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  22. ^ "मेरठ, मुरादाबाद, फैजाबाद और सैफई में एयरपोर्ट बनाने का रास्ता साफ" [Clear way for airports in Meerut, Moradabad, Faizabad and Saifai]. Dainik Jagran. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Yogi govt expedites Ayodhya international airport project". Hindustan Times. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  24. ^ Sharma, Anu (18 December 2020). "Ayodhya airport to be ready for 20-seater aircraft in first phase". CNBC. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Ayodhya airport must be operational before Ram Temple, says UP CM Yogi Adityanath". The Times of India. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  26. ^ a b c "IndiGo commences operations from Ayodhya, its 86th domestic destination". IndiGo (Press release). 6 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  27. ^ a b c PTI (6 November 2018). "Full-fledged airport in Ayodhya on fast track". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. ^ "PM Modi visits exhibition, shows interest in Ayodhya airport model". Hindustan Times. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  29. ^ a b c d "Ayodhya Airport – Status, Master Plan & Design". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  30. ^ "5 Bidders for Ayodhya Airport Phase 2's Consultant Contract". The Metro Rail Guy. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Development of Ayodhya Airport–Phase II Plan (Detailed View)". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  32. ^ Seth, Maulshree (12 December 2023). "Murals, artworks & engraved scriptures: Upcoming Ayodhya airport awash with Ramayana theme". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Our Network". Air India Express. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Air India Express to expand flights to Ayodhya from January 17". JetArena. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  35. ^ "Air India Express to launch flights to Ayodhya from January 16". JetArena. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Our Network". Akasa Air. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Alliance Air commences services from Dehradun to Amritsar, Ayodhya, Pantnagar and Varanasi". CAPA. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  38. ^ "IndiGo Aug – Oct 2024 Domestic Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  39. ^ "IndiGo to launch Mumbai-Ayodhya flights from January 15". JetArena. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  40. ^ "SpiceJet to launch flights to Ayodhya from February". JetArena. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  41. ^ "Spicejet Schedules".
  42. ^ "478.1 acres land is required for phase-1 of Ayodhya airport: AAI to UP govt". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  43. ^ Nag, Devanjana (10 March 2021). "Travelling to Ayodhya to be more convenient! AAI sanctions Rs 242 crore to develop airport in the holy city". The Financial Express (India). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  44. ^ "UP govt, AAI sign lease pact for Ayodhya International airport". The Financial Express (India). 8 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  45. ^ "Upcoming International Airport at Ayodhya to Showcase City's Transformation". News 18. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  46. ^ "Ayodhya airport to be ready by December 15, says Yogi". The Times of India. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  47. ^ Sinha, Saurabh (13 December 2023). "IndiGo to link Ayodhya with Delhi & Ahmedabad before Shri Ram temple inauguration". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  48. ^ "दिल्ली से अयोध्या जाने वाली पहली उड़ान का समय बदला, जानें- क्या है नया शेड्यूल". ABP News (in Hindi). 23 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  49. ^ Sood, Pooja (25 December 2023). "Before the Ram Mandir inauguration, PM Modi will inaugurate Ayodhya airport on this date, hold a road show. Details here". The Local Report. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
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