Nizam-era airports set to stage a royal comeback

FLY PAST: Adilabad airfield in Telangana (file image)
| Photo Credit:
HARPAL SINGH S

Telangana’s civil aviation sector is soon set for a major boost with the phoenix-like rise of two pre-Independence era airports at Warangal and Adilabad, leaving the State with three operational airports.

In Warangal, the 94-year-old Mamnoor airport with two small runways, constructed by the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, has remained dormant for nearly four decades. Soon there will be steel birds hovering above it, and its campus will be abuzz with brisk passenger activity.

After the Centre approved a proposal for the creation of Warangal airport at the Mamnoor airstrip in February this year, the State government is hurrying to complete the work within the next few years, according to official sources.

The Aviation Ministry instructed the State government to hand over 253 acres to the Airports Authority of India (AAl) for the airport’s development.

The project faced its share of legal hurdles, however, since one of the riders for the development of GMR Hyderabad International Airport at Shamshabad is the bar on the construction of any other civil or commercial airport within a 150-km radius.

After prolonged discussions, Hyderabad International Airport Limited (HIAL) agreed to give a ‘no-objection certificate’ for the Warangal airport project.

The Adilabad airfield, too, was built by the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad. The Defence Ministry has accorded in-principle approval for the resumption of civil aviation operations at the airfield.

The State government, meanwhile, plans to set up more airports in Telangana; on its request, the AAI has conducted pre-feasibility studies at Jakrampally in Nizamabad, Bhadradri (Kothagudem) and Anthargaon (Peddapalli).

The air traffic — both passenger and cargo — handled by GMR Hyderabad International Airport has grown significantly busier in recent times.

In calendar year 2024, it handled 1,80,914 tonnes of cargo, up by 22 per cent from a year ago. This was driven by a 36 per cent surge in international cargo to 1,08,520 tonnes, and a 5 per cent growth in domestic cargo to 72,395 tonnes.

Apart from its dominant position in handling the country’s high-value pharma cargo, Hyderabad airport has witnessed a strong growth in the movement of electrical and electronic items, as also engineering goods in the past year.

The addition of new airports and infrastructure is expected to leverage and boost this growth in business.