Uttar Pradesh is poised to become the state with the highest number of international airports in the country as it prepares for the foundation laying ceremony of the Noida International Airport at Jewar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
According to a statement issued by the UP government, "With the ground breaking and foundation laying ceremony of the Noida International Airport scheduled on November 25, the state is now on its way to have five international airports – the highest for any state in India,”
Uttar Pradesh had only two international airports – Lucknow and Varanasi – till 2012. The third international airport at Kushinagar became operational after it was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on October 20, while work on the airport in Ayodhya is proceeding in full swing and flights are expected to become operational early next year, the statement explained.
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The fifth international airport is to come up at Jewar near Noida in the National Capital Region (NCR), it added.
The state, at present, has eight operational airports, while 13 airports and seven airstrips are being developed.
“The unique distinction of Uttar Pradesh in providing unmatched air connectivity in the country is in keeping with the government's commitment to ensure uninterrupted multi-modal connectivity on land, railways, water and air," the statement said.
The Prime Minister's Gati Shakti National Master Plan has infused a sense of urgency into the plans for infrastructure development in the state,” it added.
