New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday laid the foundation stone of a new Rs 410-crore terminal building at Maharaja Agrasen Airport in Hisar, Haryana. The upcoming new terminal will include a cargo terminal and an ATC building. “Hisar Airport will elevate the aspirations of Haryana’s youth, providing them with new opportunities and dreams,” the PM said.
Modi also launched flights connecting Haryana to Ayodhya and said other cities will also be aerially connected to Hisar soon. “With scheduled flights from Hisar to Ayodhya (twice weekly), three flights in a week to Jammu, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh, this development will mark a significant leap in Haryana’s aviation connectivity,” a Govt statement said.
The PM said since 2014, airports have been built in places that did not even used to have proper railway stations. Till 2014, India had 74 airports which were built over 70 years and since then in the last 11 years the number of airports has increased to 150. Almost 90 airports have been connected under UDAN scheme, with over 600 routes operational, “enabling affordable air travel” for lakhs of people. This has led to record numbers of air travellers in India, with people “wearing hawai chapal (slippers) now travelling by hawai jahaaz (planes).”
Modi highlighted Indian carriers have placed orders for 2,000 new aircraft. This will create jobs for pilots, air hostesses, and other services. He also pointed out that the aircraft maintenance sector will generate significant employment opportunities.
