History
Warangal Airport was originally constructed in the 1930s by the last Nizam of Hyderabad State, Mir Osman Ali Khan [5] along with one at Solapur, to benefit the businesses, at Kagaznagar for the paper industry's convenience, and to help industries like the Azam Jahi Mills at Warangal.
During World War II, the Mamnoor airstrip was used by the British army after being handed over by the Nizam as a friendly gesture. [6] The airstrip was damaged when two Hawker Tempest of the Indian Air Force bombed it during Operation Polo in September1948. In 1959, Jawaharlal Nehru landed at the airstrip to lay the foundation stone for the first Regional Engineering College in Warangal. During the 1962 war with China, the IAF parked some of its aircraft at Mamnoor because of the remoteness of its location from the conflict zone. In the 1970s, the NCC Air Wing began conducting programmes for cadets at the airfield using gliders [6] . Regional carrier Vayudoot operated to Warangal briefly from 1987 [7] , after which there were no more commercial services to the airport.
In March 2007, the then undivided Andhra Pradesh government entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the AAI for the development of Mamnoor airport for operation of ATR-72 aircraft [8] . However, those efforts were stalled because of the exclusivity clause of the Central Government's agreement with the operators of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) [7]
Revival plans
In September 2020, the Government of Telangana planned to acquire 200 acres of additional land around the airport for its revival. [9] The state government also requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation for the airport to be included in the Government of India's UDAN scheme. [10] [11] The Central Government added Warangal to the UDAN scheme in 2022. [12] A joint inspection team was formed to expedite the survey process in 2023. [13]
On 31 July 2023, following a new survey, the State Cabinet of Telangana approved the proposal to develop Mamnoor Airport [14] . In November 2024, the Telangana government approved Rs 205 crore for acquiring over 280 acres of land to facilitate the development of the airport. This decision followed the issuance of a "No Objection Certificate" (NoC) from the GMR Group which manages Hyderabad’s RGIA. [15]
AAI has Informed Telangana government that they will take up development of Warangal International Airport in Phase 2 for IFR Operations for A320 type aircraft Proposed Runway Length - 2.9km Total Project Cost - Rs.592 Crs (if it was started in 2021 and completed by March 2024) [16] The Central government approved the development and operationalisation of the airport in February 2025, waiving the exclusivity clause that restricted new airport developments within 150 km of Hyderabad International Airport. [17]
On 27 December 2025, the Telangana Government officially handed over an additional 253 acres of land to the Airport Authority of India (AAI). [18]
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