AMCA Major Brings Sathya Sai Airport At Puttaparthi Back Into Limelight

Anantapur: Sathya Sai Airport at Puttaparthi, one of the unique privately owned airports in the country, has remained idle for about 15 years after the demise of Sri Satya Sai Baba, but for occasional V/VIP devotee visits or emergencies.

However, times are now changing. The airport is emerging as a strategically important aviation spot in South India.

The Satya Sai Airport is spread across nearly 450 acres and is managed by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. The airport had been inaugurated on November 24, 1990, primarily to facilitate air travel for devotees visiting Prasanthi Nilayam and enable emergency medical air connectivity for patients at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.

The airport is about one kilometre from the Super Speciality Hospital and close to Prasanthi Nilayam, where Sri Sathya Sai Baba resided.

Initially developed with a 1,000-metre airstrip, the runway had later been expanded to accommodate larger jet aircraft. At present, the airport has a 2,230-metre-long asphalt runway designated 09/27. It is capable of handling business jets and medium-sized aircraft. The runway is 145 feet in width. The airport, however, does not have night-landing facilities.

During the mid-2000s, the airport witnessed scheduled commercial operations, with Indian Airlines, Air Deccan, Jagson Airlines, and Kingfisher Airlines operating services connecting Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. Commercial flights discontinued in 2008 due to low passenger occupancy, according to a report.

The airport has now regained its relevance following the sanction of the strategic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Core Integration and Flight Testing project near the airport. Defence and aerospace players will start using the existing runway, open space, and surrounding lands to make the airport suitable for future aerospace-support operations, testing logistics, and defence-linked aviation activities, sources said.

The AMCA manufacturing unit will be established over 635 acres in the land neighbouring the airport.

“With increasing defence investments and aerospace infrastructure planned around Puttaparthi, Satya Sai Airport is expected to play a key supporting role in transforming the region into a national aerospace and aviation ecosystem in the coming years,” Puttaparthi MLA Palle Sindhura Reddy observed.

The AMCA infrastructure project is estimated at ₹15,803 crore. It is expected to generate thousands of employment opportunities. It is scheduled to provide an additional boost to the international spiritual centre at Prasanthi Nilayam.