Ahead of the Ram Mandir inauguration, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that 100 chartered flights are expected to land at the Ayodhya airport for the temple consecration ceremony on January 22.
Speaking at the virtual function for the inauguration of the Ayodhya to Ahmedabad flight by IndiGo, CM Yogi Adityanath said, “Around 100 chartered planes will land at the Ayodhya airport on 22nd January to attend the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple. This will also show us the path of checking the potential of the Ayodhya airport.”
On December 30, the newly built Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I am grateful to PM Narendra Modi for giving the fourth international airport to Uttar Pradesh. The Ayodhya airport was inaugurated on December 30th” the Uttar Pradesh CM added.
Connecting Ayodhya
Boosting air connectivity, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister VK Singh, and other senior officials launched the first tri-weekly flights between Ahmedabad and Ayodhya in a virtual conference today.
“We started the first flight between Ayodhya and Delhi on December 30th, operated by IndiGo and Air India Express. Today we are going to connect Ayodhya with Ahmedabad.” Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said.
Meanwhile at the Ahmedabad airport, as the first flight for Ayodhya left from Ahmedabad, passengers arrived at the airport dressed as Lord Ram, Lakshman, Sita, and Hanuman.
Ayodhya Airport to cater over 10 lakh passengers
In the first phase, the Ayodhya airport is expected to handle 10 lakh passengers annually, which would significantly increase to 60 lakh commuters annually in the second phase. As part of the Phase 1 project, a state-of-the-art airport is developed at a cost of more than Rs 1,450 crore.
The Maharishi Valmiki International Airport’s terminal building will have an area of 6,500 sq m, equipped to serve the massive influx of passengers. The facade of the terminal building depicts the temple architecture of the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
On Wednesday, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took over the security of Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya.
Meanwhile, the UP government has implemented a comprehensive plan encompassing advanced security and traffic management measures.
Further, the Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) has been integrated with 1,500 public CCTV cameras across the city, ensuring vigilant surveillance. Besides, Ayodhya’s yellow zone will be encompassed with 10,715 AI-based cameras featuring face recognition technology, seamlessly integrated with ITMS and monitored from a central control room.