Parliament Question: Operationalisation of Kushinagar International Airport

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 2278 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12th February 2026 ) OPERATIONALISATION OF KUSHINAGAR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

2278. SHRI RAMASHANKAR VIDHARTHI RAJBHAR Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) the time by which the Kushinagar International Airport would be fully operational for regular domestic and international flights along with the current status of flight operations therefrom;

(b) whether the Government proposes to connect Kushinagar Airport to more cities under the UDAN scheme and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government is aware that Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh is still deprived of an airport facility, affecting regional development and emergency services and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has any proposal under consideration for establishment of an airport or airstrip in Ballia district; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor along with the future plans in this regard? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

(a): Kushinagar Airport is an operational airport of Airports Authority of India (AAI), however, at present there are no scheduled flight operations at the airport. With the repeal of Air Corporations Act in March 1994, the Indian domestic aviation was deregulated and the provision of air services to specific destinations is determined by airlines based on traffic demand, commercial viability, and compliance with extant guidelines.

International operations of airlines are governed by the bilateral Air Services Agreement

(ASA) between India and the respective countries. In accordance with the ASAs, Indian designated carriers are free to mount operations to/from any point including Kushinagar to foreign destinations as per mutually agreed capacity limits, while any designated foreign airline can operate to/from a point in India if it is designated as a point of call in the ASA. The commencement of direct international flights from any point in India is purely a commercial decision of scheduled airlines, based on passenger demand, slot availability, route viability, and other related factors.

(b): Kushinagar airstrip is available in the tentative list of unserved airports in the UDAN scheme document. In case, any airline submits a bid for routes connecting to Kushinagar Airstrip in future rounds of bidding, the same will be considered as per the scheme provisions.(c) to (e): Government of India (GoI) has formulated a Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008 according to which, if any airport developer including the State Government desires to develop an airport, they are required to identify a suitable site and get the Pre-feasibility Study conducted for construction of airport and submit a proposal to the Central Government for 'Site Clearance' followed by 'In-Principle' approval.

No proposal seeking 'Site Clearance' under GFA Policy for development of a Greenfield Airport in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh has been received. ******