Civil Aviation Minister highlights North East's airport expansion

The Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, highlighted the significant developments in the aviation infrastructure of the North East region over the past nine years, including the establishment of eight airports, four of which are located in Arunachal Pradesh. Scindia emphasised the region's pivotal role as the gateway from India to the South East. Scheduled to inaugurate new infrastructure facilities at Tezu airport in Arunachal Pradesh on September 24, Scindia pointed out that as recently as 2014, the state did not have a single airport, but now boasts four operational airports: Pasighat, Zero, Hollongi, and Tezu. Highlighting the historical context, Scindia noted that in the 66 years following India's independence, the North East had only nine airports. However, thanks to the determination of the Prime Minister and concerted efforts over the past nine years, this number has nearly doubled to 17. Scindia stressed the vision of the North East serving as India's gateway to the South East, aligning with the Prime Minister's commitment to regional development. He commended the remarkable transformation witnessed in the North East, both in terms of infrastructure and social development. Tezu airport, covering 212 acres of land, has been developed to accommodate operations for aircraft of the ATR 72 type. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) undertook the development and upgrade work in response to the state government's request. The Rs 1.7 billion project encompassed runway extension, construction of a new apron for two ATR 72 type aircraft, the creation of a new terminal building, and a fire station cum Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower, as detailed in an official release.