Chennai, In a significant development, residents of the Vellore region are on the brink of gaining air connectivity to Chennai and Bengaluru. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced the completion of development work at Vellore airport, with the licensing process currently underway.
Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha posed by DMK member M Shanmugam, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh confirmed the completion of development work at Vellore airport. The airport, located in Abdullahpuram, is set to become operational under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) project.
Singh mentioned that Air Taxi, the selected airline operator, is poised to commence operations from Vellore to Chennai and Bengaluru with nine-seater aircraft once the licensing process is finalized. The Vellore airport was identified for operation under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN during the second round of bidding.
The airport, covering an area of 51.5 acres, features an 800m runway that remained non-functional for an extended period. The completion of civil work and the submission of the license application to the ministry mark significant milestones. Sources suggest that the Director General of Civil Aviation is expected to visit the site before its official opening, which is anticipated before the end of the month.