Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel inaugurated the newly developed infrastructure of Tezu Airport in Arunachal Pradesh today.
Tezu Airport is a domestic airport located in the town of Tezu which operates through a single runway. The airport is developed on 212 acres of land, and capable of handling operations for ATR 72 type of aircraft. AAI undertook the development and upgradation work to operationalize Tezu Airport at the request of the State Government. The works undertaken for Rs. 170 Cr. includes the extension of the runway (1500m x 30m) and, the construction of a new apron for 02 nos. ATR 72 type aircraft, construction of a new terminal building, and a fire station cum ATC Tower.
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel, said on the occasion that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a special impetus has been given to the development of the north eastern region of the country.
He added that PM Modi has made North-East India the ‘HIRA’ (Diamond) of India, which means Highway, Internet, Railway and Aviation – the four core components that are enabling holistic and inclusive development of the region. He then went ahead to talk about the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN which has benefitted the region magnificently. He said that PM Shri Narendra Modi has democratized civil aviation through the UDAN scheme. He asserted that more than 2.50 lakh UDAN flights have helped more than 1.37 crore people travel under the scheme.
He talked about the state of the civil aviation sector of the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Making a comparison with 2014, he said that till 2014 there were no airport in Arunachal Pradesh and in the span of 9 years, 4 new airports have been developed and operationalised. He added that the New Terminal Building at Tezu will further enhance the connectivity of the region and play a vital role in the economic development of the region.
The Minister also announced three direct routes from Itanagar under the UDAN 5.0 scheme: Itanagar to Delhi, Itanagar to Jorahat, and Itanagar to Rupsi which will be operationalised soon.