India to add 80 more airports in 4-5 years: Civil Aviation Ministry

India is likely to add nearly 80 airports in the next four to five years, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. In the last eight years, the number of airports in the country has increased from 74 to 141 and this number will stand at 220 by 2027, said the ministry, which has also granted in-principle approval for the establishment of 21 greenfield airports across the country.   

21 greenfield airports

So far, eight greenfield airports — Durgapur, Shirdi, Sindhudurg, Pakyong, Kannur, Kalaburagi, Orvakal and Kushinagar — have been operationalised. The 21 greenfield airports will be set up at Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka; Dabra in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh; Dholera and Hirasar (Rajkot) in Gujarat; Karaikal in Puducherry; Dagadarthi (Nellore), Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh; Durgapur in West Bengal; Pakyong in Sikkim; Kannur in Kerala; and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.

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Expansion under UDAN scheme

According to the Ministry, the Centre granted site clearance to the Himachal Pradesh government for development of a new greenfield airport at Nagchala, Mandi, in the financial year 2022-23. Besides, 35 airports, helipads and water aerodromes are targeted for development during the FY 2022-23 under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, Uday Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN).

Criteria for Aerodromes

The ministry has said that aerodromes need to fulfil certain requirements to start the operation of flights. According to the Civil Aviation Requirement of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), an aerodrome must meet specifications for its management systems, operational procedures, physical characteristics, obstacle assessment and treatment, visual aids, rescue and fire-fighting services.