The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted site clearance for the Sabarimala Greenfield Airport project, which is set to be developed in Kottayam, Kerala. The project, estimated to cost approximately Rs 4000 crore, will be developed on around 2,250 acres of land and will be undertaken at Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC).
This move comes after the civil aviation ministry considered the fact that the proposed airport would not impact the operation of Madurai Airport in Tamil Nadu, which is located just 148 kilometers away. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had recently announced that all necessary approvals for the project had been obtained, while Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this development, stating that the move would benefit close to one crore devotees.