Lohit (Arunachal Pradesh) [India]: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia is set to inaugurate the new terminal building of Tezu Airport in Arunachal’s Lohit today.
The inauguration session will be attended by Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Chowna Mein, and reportedly Chief Minister Pema Khandu will not attend the event.
The Civil Aviation Minister of the state, Airports Authority of India (AAI) member planning AK Pathak, local MPs, and MLAs including other senior government officials will also attend the event.
Tezu Airport is a domestic airport located in the city of Tezu which operates via a single runway.
“The airport is developed on 212 acres of land and is capable of handling operations of ATR 72 types of aircraft. AAI carried out development and upgradation work to make Tezu Airport operational at the request of the State Government.
The domestic airport has undergone a transformation with the implementation of infrastructure upgrades worth Rs 170 crore,” read a statement from MoCA.
These developments include the extension of the runway to 1500 meters by 30 meters, the construction of a modern apron capable of accommodating two ATR 72 type aircraft, the establishment of a new terminal building, and the creation of a fire station cum Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower, the statement said.
“The upgraded airport now includes two aprons designed for ATR 72 type aircraft, a runway extended to 1500m x 30m, a traveler-friendly terminal, and a Fire Station cum Air Traffic Control Tower with a wide 75m runway strip,” added Scindia in his post.
Tezu Airport was operationalised in 2018 under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The airport is currently connected to Dibrugarh, Imphal, and Guwahati through regular scheduled flights by Alliance Air and Flybig airline.
Tezu is a small town situated on the banks of the Lohit River and is the headquarters of the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. The city is known for its natural beauty, where there are lush green forests and high hills all around.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said, “Eight airports have been operationalized in the north-east, including four in Arunachal Pradesh, in the last nine years, and stressed that the region should be the gateway to the south-east from the country.”
