CCEA clears Dholera International Airport project in Gujarat

Rs 1,305 crore to be spent for phase 1 of airport (Representative image)

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on June 14 approved the Dholera International Airport project in Gujarat.

The airport, which will be connected by highways, rapid transport system and railways, will be owned by Airports Authority of India and the government of Gujarat, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said.

Thakur said that an investment of Rs 1,305 crore will be spent in phase one of the Dholera airport which is expected to be completed in four years. The airport would be developed in three phases at a cost of Rs 1,712 crore.

The airport was earlier expected to start operations by December 2023, however, with the delays the first phase should be completed by 2025-26.

The government expects the Dholera airport to cater to 3,00,000 passengers and handle 20,000 tonne of cargo in 2026.

During Phase-1, a 3,200-metre-long runway will be built for type 4E aircrafts, in the Phase-2, the same runway would be extended to 3,800 metres. And in Phase-3, the second runway will be built.

In the next 20 years, the Dholera airport is expected to handle 2,33,000 tonne of cargo and cater to 23 lakh passengers, Thakur said.

The airport, which will be connected by highways, rapid transport system and railways, will be owned by Airports Authority of India and the government of Gujarat, the minister added.

The development will be funded by equity of 40 percent and 60 percent debt, he added.

Dholera International Airport Company Ltd (DIACL) was set up in 2012 by the Gujarat government to develop the airport, which is now a joint venture between AAI with 51 percent stake, Government of Gujarat has 33 percent and National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust has 16 per cent stake.

The new facility is being set up in greenfield city under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project at Dholera.

The Airports Authority of India had in February issued tenders for the construction of the first phase of an international airport at Dholera entailing an investment of Rs 987 crore.

The Gujarat government has allocated 1,427 hectares of land for the project, and 75 hectares of government land has been allocated for commercial development.

Located around 100km from Ahmedabad, Dholera Airport is expected to be an alternative to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.