Shirdi airport to be ready by November

In the next two years, permanent terminal building and ATC tower will be built on 5,000 sq metre land

The construction of Shirdi airport is nearing completion and the facility will be ready by the first week of November, a top official of Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) said on Friday.

"Work on Shirdi airport is in the final stages. The air traffic control (ATC) will be ready by the first week of November. It is set to be launched any time after November 1," Vishwas Patil, managing director of MADC told reporters.

At present, work on the terminal building spread over 3,000 sq metre is in progress and will be completed by November, he said.

"Initially, the flight operations will be restricted between sunrise and sunset and the night landing facility will be installed by January 15, 2017. Once the flight operations start, devotees of from across the world will be able to fly to Shirdi (to visit the famous Saibaba shrine here)," Patil said.

Out of the total cost of Rs 325 crore (Rs 3.25 billion), the MADC has spent Rs 230 crore (Rs 2.3 billion) so far on the airport, he added.

"The airport crash tender imported from Austria at a cost of Rs five crore is ready. This ultra modern vehicle can reach any part of the airport within one and half minutes," he said.

According to him, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis is keen on inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the inauguration of the airport.

In the next two years, permanent terminal building and ATC tower will be built on 5,000 sq metre land, he added.

Photograph: PTI Photo