If Telangana govt. cooperates, State will get two airports soon: Union Minister

Union Minister urges Telangana government to cooperate in developing Adilabad and Warangal airports for affordable travel.

Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy has urged the Telangana government to cooperate in the development of airports at Adilabad and Warangal to bring affordable travel to people.

“If the State government acts swiftly in acquiring land and fully cooperates, the Warangal and Adilabad airports will soon be able to serve the people,” the Minister said in a press statement on Saturday, a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed him in a letter that the government was ready to develop the IAF airfield at Adilabad for joint use by the military as well as civil aviation.

According to Mr. Singh’s letter on April 4, the airfield that had gone into disuse would be revived and developed as a training establishment by the IAF in future.

Mr. Reddy, the Telangana BJP president and Secunderabad MP, has accused the Congress government of Telangana of not cooperating in this regard despite multiple representations from him as well as one from the former Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia.

“Once air services begin at Warangal and Adilabad, Telangana will benefit from more UDAN routes, enhancing not just passenger convenience but also boosting trade and commercial development in these regions. This will also allow the middle class to avail itself of air travel in a cost-effective manner,” the Telangana MP said, referring to the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) – that provides flights to tier-2 and tier-3 cities on subsidised airfares.

Last month, a major obstacle was cleared to pave the way for a civilian airport at Mamnoor in Warangal. Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu approved a no-objection certificate from the GMR’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (in Hyderabad), which agreed to a one-time waiver to a clause that prohibited development of an airport within a distance of 150 km from it.

Adilabad is a major centre for cotton trade and various agricultural products, and the Air Force Training Centre in Adilabad will also provide opportunities for the local community through direct and indirect employment, he said.