Kanpur, May 26 (PTI) Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said that air services from Kanpur to Delhi will begin soon.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new terminal building of Kanpur Airport, the Union minister said, "We have announced 59 new routes and 122 new routes will be announced in the future. We have the vision to connect Kanpur with Pantnagar, Aligarh, Moradabad and Shravasti."

Also Read | Rajasthan: 12 Dead, Several Injured As Heavy Rain, Thunderstorm Batter Tonk; Orange Alert Issued.

There are currently 11 airports operating in the state, and 11 more airports will be started over the next three years. Uttar Pradesh will get 22 new airports altogether. Be it Chitrakoot, Moradabad, Jhansi, Ghazipur, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Saharanpur or Shravasti, airport facilities will be provided at all these places, Scinidia said.

The terminal building will be 16 times bigger than the existing terminal at a project cost of Rs 150 crore and is equipped to handle 400 passengers during peak hours, as compared to 50 passengers earlier. The facade of the new terminal will depict the temple architecture of the famous JK Temple of Kanpur, Scindia said further.

Also Read | Karnataka Cabinet Expansion: CM Siddaramaiah-Led Congress Government's Cabinet Expansion on May 27, Says Randeep Singh Surjewala.

"The existing air terminal in Kanpur, which previously handled just 3,000 passengers, will soon be able to handle 10 lakh passengers every year. This facility will not only benefit Kanpur but also impact 8 surrounding districts," he added.

He also said that a new airport will be built in Ayodhya in the next 1.5 years, and the facility coming at Jewar will compete with airports in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.

In 2013-14, there were 652 airplane arrivals per week in Uttar Pradesh, he said, adding that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, today the state sees 1,595 airplane arrivals a week, which is 145 per cent higher.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)