In a significant development from Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the first Hisar-Ayodhya flight and laid the foundation stone for 410-crore second terminal of Maharaja Agrasen airport. Criticizing the erstwhile led UPA government, Modi stated that there were merely 74 airports prior to 2014 and now more than 150 during his rule.
Where is Maharaja Agrasen Airport situated?
Maharaja Agrasen airport is situated almost 5 km northeast of Hisar city center on NH-9. The airport is a part of Haryana’s larger infrastructure developmental plan.
Maharaja Agrasen Airport development
The development of the airport is going on in various phases. The first phase involving the construction of a world-class terminal building was already completed at a cost of ₹50 crore. During the second phase, a 3,000-metre-long runway has been constructed and it has become feasible for Airbus aircraft to transport a maximum of 180 passengers. Airport has been renamed Maharaja Agrasen International Airport after the Maharaja Agrasen by ex-Haryana CM ML Khattar on July 26, 2021, in a bid to promote tourism to religious and archaeological sites like Agroha Dham and Agroha Mound respectively.
Verify key connections from Maharaja Agrasen airport at Hisar:
- Hisar – Ayodhya, two flights a week
- Hisar – Jammu, three flights a week
- Hisar – Ahmedabad, three flights a week
- Hisar – Jaipur, three flights a week
- Hisar – Chandigarh, three flights a week
MoU with Alliance Air
As per Haryana CM Nayab Saini, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Alliance Air on June 13, 2024. The agreement aims to start air services to five cities, which are Ayodhya, Jammu, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Ahmedabad. He also mentioned that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted the licence to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on March 13. This came after AAI submitted an application for a licence from the DGCA on January 23 this year.
An Integrated Aviation Hub is being constructed on 7,200 acres in Hisar. Out of this, 4,200 acres will be used for the airport. The remaining 3,000 acres will be used for an Integrated Manufacturing Cluster, reports added.
Maharaja Agrasen airport’s second terminal
As part of phase 2 development, PM Modi laid the foundation for 410-crore second terminal. It includes development of a 37, 390 sqm passenger terminal building, 2,235 sqm cargo terminal, with a new air traffic control tower. The second terminal is expected to be finished at an estimated cost of ₹413 crore and come on stream by April 17, 2027.
