Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Mar 25 (IANS): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated a new airport at Kurnool on Thursday.
The new airport has been named Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy Airport which will start commercial operations from Sunday with the arrival of an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru at 10 a.m. The airport has been developed by Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation Limited (APADCL).
Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy was a legendary freedom fighter from Kurnool district.
Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy said the new airport is the sixth civilian airport in the state, developed on an area covering 1,010 acres. It has 374 acres of airside area and 634 acres of cityside area, including a 2,000-metre long runway.
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had awarded the aerodrome licence to the airport on January 15 and it received the BCAS security clearance on January 27.
IndiGo will launch flights to Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Chennai from the airport in Rayalaseema starting March 28. Direct flights to the three destinations will be operated under Udan, the regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
Flights from Kurnool will enhance the accessibility to more avenues for tourists as well as government officials travelling to and from the judicial capital.
Following the inauguration of the airport, the Chief Minister also unveiled a bust of former CM Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy within the airport complex.