Union Minister G Kishan Reddy thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving the Sabarimala Greenfield airport in Kerala. The Centre has been working towards making air travel more accessible to the middle class and less privileged since 2014. There are currently around 150 operational airports, half of which have become operational after 2014. The Union government has also been taking steps to make spiritual travel more seamless for devotees and the public.
The Centre has given site clearance for a greenfield airport at Sabarimala, near Kottayam, to make it easier for the millions of devotees who visit the area annually. The greenfield airport policy requires approvals through a two-step process. With the Centre giving site clearance, the next step will require in-principle approval from various Union ministries.
Every year, close to one crore devotees visit Sabarimala, with a majority of them visiting between November and January. The airport will be developed under PPP mode at an estimated cost of Rs. 3,973 crore. Reddy expressed his gratitude to Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia for acting on his request.
