Overview
- The Air India Airbus A320 test flight touched down around 11 a.m. on January 4 carrying Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, with AAI and DGCA officials in attendance.
- The validation assessed runway, navigational aids and airside systems in line with DGCA norms, a mandatory step before an aerodrome licence and commercial services.
- Construction is roughly 95–97% complete, and authorities and GMR are targeting the start of commercial operations in June 2026, with some reports indicating a June 26 inauguration pending confirmation.
- Access remains the key constraint as links from NH‑16 and other corridors are still being built, with a highway interchange targeted by May 2026 to improve connectivity for passengers.
- Built by GMR on about 2,200 acres, the airport has a 3.8 km runway and initial capacity for 6 million passengers a year, while the minister indicated the 150 km radius rule will not block additional airports once existing capacity is saturated.