The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that two more airports will be developed in Telangana — one at Warangal and another at Adilabad — with the foundation stone for the latter expected to be laid within the next three months.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu and Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy told a press conference in New Delhi that a key meeting had decided to take up the development of the Warangal airport, while the Adilabad airport will be developed by the Defence Ministry.
The Ministers pointed out that Telangana has, for a long time, had only one airport — Hyderabad — and there has been a consistent demand for airports in other regions of the State. In particular, there has been a long-standing demand for an airport in Adilabad to promote tourism and commercial activity. Consequently, it was decided to develop the airport on 370 acres of land belonging to the Defence Ministry.
While the Defence Ministry has agreed to develop the airport for public use, the Telangana government has also consented to provide an additional 450 acres required for the project. Initially, a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Defence Ministry was considered. However, it has now been decided that the Defence Ministry will develop the airport, while the AAI will construct the civilian terminal, Mr. Naidu explained.
