Telangana: Mamnoor Airport in Warangal to witness expansion works soon

 After years of delay, the long-cherished dream of an airport at Mamnoor airfield in Warangal district is set to become a reality with the State government sanctioning Rs.205 crore for the acquisition of 280.30 acres of land required for airport expansion.

Situated roughly 170 km from Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Mamnoor will be the first of six proposed airports in Telangana to become functional under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-Udan).

The State government on Sunday permitted the Warangal District Collector to acquire the land measuring an extent of 280.30 acres for development of Mamnoor Airport. It has also sanctioned Rs.205 crore for land acquisition purposes. The government also permitted the collector to hand over additional land measuring 253 acres to the Airport Authority of India for expanding the runway and for the development of Mamnoor Airport.

In the wake of the Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport Limited board issuing No Objection Certificate(NOC) for operation of Mamnoor Airport, the State government had asked the AAI to take up development of the airport. The GMR has withdrawn the contract of 150 km which was a hurdle for the construction of Mamunur Airport. Following this the Roads & Buildings Department has written to the Airport Authority to prepare a Detailed Project Report(DPR) with designs for the construction of the airport.

Originally, Mamnoor airfield covered approximately 1,140 acres. However, due to encroachment, only 693 acres remain today. Under the previous BRS government, there were discussions about renovating and establishing the airport at Mamnoor. A proposal was submitted to the State government, recommending an allocation of Rs.1,200 crore and an additional 300 acres of land to extend the runway from 1.8 km to 3.9 km. The State government, which had approached the Centre for developing the airport, had also acquired 253 acres for the airport development. AAI officials conducted ground inspections in Warangal on two occasions.

In August 2023, the BRS government issued G.O. M.S.No 36 to acquire land in neighbouring villages, including Gadipally, Gunturpally, Nakkalapally, and Mamnoor. However, work was halted following the 2023 election notification.

The Warangal Airport in Mamnoor, once regarded as India’s largest pre-Independence airport, has been out of operation for over 40 years. Established in 1930, Mamnoor predates Hyderabad’s Begumpet Airport and served as a critical hub for both civilian and military purposes.