Parliament Question: Development of Greenfield Airports

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3438 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12th March 2026 ) DEVELOPMENT OF GREENFIELD AIRPORTS 3438. SMT SANGEETA KUMARI SINGH DEO Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the status of Greenfield airports accorded 'in-principle' approval and 'site clearance' indicating those operationalised, under construction and proposed across the country, State-wise; (b) the present status of the Greenfield airport proposed at Puri, Odisha including land acquisition, environmental and statutory clearances, estimated project cost, funding pattern and timelines fixed for commencement and completion of construction; (c) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of passenger demand, tourism growth and regional connectivity benefits arising from the proposed Puri Greenfield airport, particularly in view of pilgrimage and coastal tourism in Odisha and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the quantum of capital expenditure incurred/proposed to be incurred for development of airport infrastructure in Odisha under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and other schemes including Airports Authority of India (AAI) and PPP-based projects during the financial years 2019-20 to 2025- 26? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a):Under the Greenfield Airports(GFA) Policy, "In-Principle'' approval has been accorded for setting up of 24 Greenfield Airports across the country, namely, Puri in Odisha, Parandur in Tamil Nadu, Kota in Rajahtan, Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Rajkot (Hirasar) in Gujarat, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram and Oravakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. Out of these 13Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa, Shivamogga, Rajkot (Hirasar) and Navi Mumbai have been operationalised. Besides, GoI has also granted 'Site Clearance' for construction of 7 Greenfield airports namely Alwar in Rajasthan, Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Kottayam in Kerala, Doloo in Assam, Raichur in Karnataka and Sonpur in Bihar. (b)&(c): MoCA has granted 'In-Principle' approval to State Government of Odisha (GoO) for development of International Greenfield Airport at Puri on 06.05.2025. As per the GFA Policy, the responsibility for implementation of the Greenfield airport projects including land acquisition, R&R, funding, obtaining environment clearances etc. lies with the airport developer concerned or the State Government, as the case may be. The timeline for completion of the airport projects depends upon many factors such as land acquisition, availability of mandatory clearances, financial closure etc. Airports have emerged as a nucleus of economic activities and have multiplier effect on the economy of the State. Development of airports leads to increase in passenger movements, tourism development, employment generation and augmentation in circle rates of land valuation leading to enhanced collection of various taxes/stamp duties etc., in the respective State and in the overall development of the Country. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) study shows that the air connectivity has an economic multiplier of 3.25 and employment multiplier of 6.1. (d): Airports Authority of India has incurred an expenditure of Rs. 479 crore for development of airports in Odisha during FY 2019-20 to FY 2025-26 (up to February 2026). ******