Telangana government has issued orders sanctioning Rs 205 crore for acquiring over 280 acres of land for the development of Mamnoor Airport at Warangal, after GMR Group which manages Hyderabad Airport issued "No Objection" certificate for operation of the aerodrome.

According to the GO issued on Sunday, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in July 2022, informed the state government that it is ready to develop Warangal Airport for A-320 type of aircraft for IFR (instrument flight rules) operations and is ready to bear the infrastructure cost, operational and maintenance of the proposed airport.

A master plan has been prepared for the operation of A-320 type of aircraft for which an additional land measuring 253 acres is required from the state government of Telangana, free of cost and free from all encumbrances.

The AAI also wanted the state government to take up the proposal and expedite handing over of the required land to the airports body and no objection certificate from Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

As per the concession agreement between GMR Group which manages Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here and the Ministry of Civil Aviation no new or existing airport shall be permitted by GoI to be developed as, or improved or upgraded into, a domestic or international airport within an aerial distance of 150 km of the Hyderabad Airport before the 25th anniversary of the opening date.

Mamnoor is located about 175 km from Hyderabad Airport by road.

Telangana Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy held at least half a dozen meetings with GMR officials to convince them to issue NoC, government sources said.

The state government officials already wrote a letter to AAI to prepare a DPR for the proposed airport.

"Government hereby permits the District Collector Warangal to acquire the land, admiring an extent of Ac 280.30 gts for development of Mamnoor airport and also sanction Rs 250 crore for land acquisition purpose and is directed to conclude land acquisition proceedings at the earliest," the order said.

The government also ordered the Collector to acquire additional land of 253 acres and hand it over to AAI for expansion of the runway.

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