Upcoming Airports That Will Be A Game Changer For Real Estate
India owns some state-of-the-art airports and more are on their way to boost the air connectivity between cities and ease congestion in existing airports. Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, recently highlighted the government's plans to establish about 100 airports in the next 15 years at an estimated cost of Rs 4 lakh crore. Among them, 70 airports will be at new locations while the rest will be second airports or expansion of existing airfields to handle commercial flights.
These airports will be developed under the Regional Air Connectivity Scheme (also known as the UDAN Scheme) which aims at facilitating regional connectivity through financial support and infrastructure development. As many as 18 new airports in the country will be developed under this scheme. These include Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Hasan and Shimoga in Karnataka, Kannur in Kerala, Pakyong in Sikkim, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dholera in Gujarat and Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh.
Of these Sikkim's Pakyong Airport became operational on September 24 this year.
Here's an update on the other key upcoming airports across the country.
Sindhudurg Airport, Maharashtra
Located just 27 km away from Mumbai-Goa highway, in Sindhudurg district, the airport has been inaugurated by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on March 5. Some of the Maharashtra's most popular tourist sites such as Tarkali Beach which is a popular diving site and Sindhudurg Fort are in proximity to this new airport. Currently, the airport has capacity to handle 400 passengers while commercial operations have not yet started.
Hirasar Airport, Rajkot, Gujarat
The state government of Gujarat and Airport Authority of India signed an MoU in January for construction of new greenfield airport near Hirasar in Rajkot district. The Cabinet has also approved the development of new airport at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore to be built in 1,025 hectares land near NH-8B that connects Ahmedabad with Rajkot.
Rourkela Airport, Odisha
Odisha has got regulatory approval for operating third airport in the state, in Rourkela. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has provided licence for operation of flights in the Rourkela airport on January 8. Before this, officials had reviewed the progress and preparedness of the airstrip at Rourkela and declared that the airport is ready to provide connectivity under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme. In September 2018, the Airport Authority of India had announced that two more airports would come up in Odisha in 2019, apart from Rourkela- Jeypore and Utkela (Kalahandi). At present, Odisha has two airports-Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar and Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda.
Orvakal Airport, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated Orvakal greenfield airport on January 8. This was one of the 50 low-cost airports that had to come up in 2013 but got delayed by six years. The domestic flight carriers will start operations in May 2019. The new airport is expected to benefit the industrial and tourism sectors of Kurnool, Nandyal and Srisailam.
Jewar Airport, Uttar Pradesh
The airport at Jewar in Greater Noida once operational will take down the load on the Indira Gandhi International Airport and will also offer convenience to the residents in and around Noida. Sixty kilometres from Delhi, the airport will be built in four phases at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore and likely to be completed by 2024. The project will be built on a 5,000-acre land of which 2,378-acre land has already been acquired. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government on February 7 earmarked Rs 800 crore and to acquire land for the Jewar International Airport while presenting the Budget for financial year 2019-20.
Mopa Airport, Goa
Keeping in view of the rising influx of tourists annually, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the existing Dabolim airport will continue to be operational after the proposed international airport at Mopa in North Goa is commissioned. The first phase will be completed by 2020.
Navi Mumbai International Airport, Maharashtra
Spanning over 1,160 hectares at Kopra-Panvel Area of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the project is expected to be operational by 2023 as per Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. The state government has given a formal approval to GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL) for developing the project.
Sabarimala Airport, Kerala
After the airport project proposed by KGS Group in Aranmula was stalled owing to protests by environment groups and local citizens, the Kerala state government has decided to launch a greenfield airport in the Cheruvally estate area in Kanjirappally taluk. The project is aimed at providing smooth air connectivity for commuters (mostly NRIs) from Central Travancore and pilgrims to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
New Vijayawada Amaravati Airport, Andhra Pradesh
An airport has been proposed to serve Andhra Pradesh's new capital city of Amaravati. The state government recently invited the world's renowned airlines, Emirates, for investing in the development of a greenfield airport and MRO facility. Besides Amaravati, sites in Mangalagiri and Thullur are also being considered for the project.
Kannur International Airport, Kerala
Construction of from Kerala's second greenfield airport at Kannur is in full swing with commercial flight operations expected to begin from September 2018. Activities related to the construction of approach roads, state-of-the-art air cargo complex, building for the CISF and office complex for Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) are underway.
Airport at Sriperumbudur, Chennai
The centre and state government of Tamil Nadu are in talks over the development of a second airport in Chennai by 2035. As per a study by Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), the city handled 18.4 million passengers in 2016 and is expected to reach its maximum capacity of 23-26 million passengers by 2020.
Durgapur Airport, Kolkata
Kolkata is another major city which is in serious need of a second airport. On request of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to identify a site for Kolkata's second airport, the state government has suggested Durgapur in south Bengal airport as a possible option. AAI has however turned down the option citing the distance as a reason since the location is nearly 200 km away from the city.
Airport at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
The Arunachal Pradesh state government is yet to receive approval from the centre for development of a greenfield airport in the capital city of Itanagar at Holongi. To be built by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) over an area of 320 hectares, the master plan of the airport has been completed.
Impact of new airport projects on real estate
Development of new airports in any area is likely to boost the city's real estate development. Presence of an airport will enhance city's image as a business destination thus increasing demand for commercial real estate as well. Moreover, greater commercial activity in a locality will mean higher employment opportunities, which directly augments scope for rental housing.