Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first greenfield airport of Arunachal Pradesh near the state capital Itanagar on Saturday, November 19, 2022.
The Donyi Polo airport located at Hollongi will boost connectivity, trade and tourism in the hilly northeastern State.
The airport, about 15 km from the State capital, is built at a cost of ₹645 crore under the Centre’s Capital Connectivity Scheme. It will be able to accommodate 200 passengers during peak hours and will be the first in Arunachal Pradesh with a runway of 2,300 metres, suitable for operating of Boeing 747s, one of the largest passenger aircraft.
This name of the lone airport in the capital city will symbolise the age-old tradition and rich cultural heritage of the tribal state and also will reflect the people’s age-old indigenous reverence on the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo).
The first flight test-landed at the airport on July 19.
At present, there is no airport in the vicinity of the State capital, the closest one being Lilabari airport in Assam’s North Lakhimpur district, around 80 km away.
With an area of 4,100 sqm, the airport is equipped with all modern facilities for passengers.
The terminal is an energy-efficient building with a rainwater harvesting system and sustainable landscape, they said.
