Cabinet approves development of new Dholera greenfield airport in Gujarat

Tags: State News

On June 14, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for phase 1 development of the new greenfield airport at Dholera, Gujarat.

• Estimated cost of the project is Rs 1305 crore and will be completed by 2025-26.

• The project is being implemented by Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL).

• DIACL is a Joint Venture Company comprising Airports Authority of India (AAI), Government of Gujarat (GoG) and National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) holding equity in the ratio of 51:33:16.

• About Dholera Airport

• It is situated at a distance of 80 Km from Ahmedabad Airport.

• It is being constructed to facilitate passenger and cargo traffic from the Dholera Special Investment Zone (DSIR), which is expected to make the industrial area a major cargo hub.

• The airport will serve as a second airport to Ahmedabad.

• The initial passenger traffic is estimated to be three lakh passengers per year, which is expected to increase to 23 lakh over a period of 20 years.

• Annual cargo traffic of 20,000 tonnes is also projected from the year 2025-26, which will increase to 2.73 lakh tonnes over a period of 20 years.

• What is Greenfield Airport?

• The Government of India has formulated the Greenfield Airport Policy, 2008.

• This policy provides the existing guidelines for the development of greenfield airports in the country.

• The term 'Greenfield' is derived from software engineering.

• It refers to a project that is not hindered by prior work.

• Such airports are constructed to meet the anticipated requirements of the existing airport traffic.

• At present, there are 29 international airports in India. With the establishment of nine greenfield airports, the total number will reach 38.