Routine flights at Ayodhya's Maharishi Valmiki International Airport will begin within a week and the number of flights at the airport will also increase, said an airport official on Saturday.
As per the information from the airport officials, more flights are being started by the airlines as they receive the passenger footfall.
"180 passengers are coming from Delhi and the same number of passengers are going to Delhi. It is an IndiGo flight to Delhi. After that, there are two non-scheduled flights to Delhi. There is only one commercial flight from IndiGo. Within the next week, the routine will begin. After today, there would be more flights on January 10," said the airport Assistant General Manager (AGM), Vinod Kumar.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey who also landed at the Ayodhya airport on Friday praised the airport's beauty and cultural representation.
"The airport is very beautiful. It has been constructed as per India's cultural and spiritual pride," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in the temple city of Ayodhya after inaugurating the Ayodhya Railway Station on December 30.
The pilot in command of the inaugural IndiGo flight, Captain Ashutosh Shekhar, welcomed all passengers on board, calling it a proud moment.
"We are grateful and blessed for the opportunity given by IndiGo to command the inaugural flight to Ayodhya. This is a proud moment for us and Indigo. We hope your journey with us is safe and pleasant," Shekhar said.
The Airports Authority of India undertook the development of Ayodhya Airport as per the MoU signed with the Government of Uttar Pradesh in April last year. The state-of-the-art airport has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 1450 crore.
The airport's terminal building has an area of 6,500 square metres and is equipped to serve about 10 lakh passengers annually. The facade of the terminal building depicts the temple architecture of the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir of Ayodhya.
The interiors of the terminal building are decorated with local art, paintings and murals depicting the life of Bhagwan Shri Ram.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
