The Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted ‘In-Principle’ approval for the establishment of 21 new greenfield airports in India, in line with the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008. As per the policy, any interested developer, including State Governments, must identify a suitable site and conduct a pre-feasibility study before proposing the airport’s construction. Following this, a proposal is submitted to the central government for ‘site clearance’ and subsequently, an ‘in-principle’ approval is sought.
Among the 21 airports, seven will be green international airports. These include Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, Noida-Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Karaikal in Puducherry, and Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already taken the initiative to develop the Hirasar and Dholera airports, investing a total of INR 1,405 crore and INR 1,305 crore, respectively, from its own resources. As for the other greenfield airport projects, they will be funded by their respective airport developers.
The list of the remaining 14 approved airports comprises Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan, and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, Dagadarthi and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala, and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.
Significantly, several airports, including Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa, and Shivamogga, have already become operational. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and airport operators handle the upgrading of airports to international status, taking into consideration factors like commercial viability, traffic demand, and land availability.
This approval marks a significant step in enhancing India’s aviation infrastructure and connectivity across the country. With operational and upcoming airports strategically distributed, the move is expected to bolster economic growth and boost the travel industry.