(Bloomberg) -- The tranquil skies in Ayodhya are set to get noisy with scores of roaring jets thronging to the holy town this month as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates a controversial temple.
As many as 100 private jets could land on Jan. 22 at the shiny new airport in the ancient city, situated on the banks of Sarayu river, according to Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh state. Business tycoons and political leaders will take chartered flights to the town to attend the consecration ceremony at the long-awaited temple.
The government bolstered air connectivity ahead of the grand ceremony as thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to throng to the temple town. Ayodhya is widely revered by the majority Hindu population as the birthplace of their deity, Ram. Movie and sports stars are also likely to be among the invitees.
Modi last month launched the $175 million airport — built in less than two years — which can handle 1 million passengers annually, to start with. The runway is suited for narrow-body aircraft only.
India's biggest airline IndiGo has started flights from Ayodhya to the capital New Delhi as well as Ahmedabad. The carrier plans to connect it with Mumbai next week. Air India's low-cost unit also announced flights to Ayodhya while SpiceJet plans to begin services soon.
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