Kutch, which rose from the 2001 quake debris to an industrial powerhouse, is set to get a major development boost with chances of a greenfield airport at Kandla brightening. The Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), which handles one of India’s busiest ports, Kandla, has agreed in principle to allot 600-1,000 acres of land to develop the greenfield airport here. Sources said that the movement for a new airport at Kandla had been going on since 2019, but the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was willing to fund the project only if the land was readily available.
DPA chairman Sushil Kumar Singh told TOI, “We are ready to provide land to AAI in line with the land management policy applicable to the port. Two-three land parcels have been identified, and AAI will decide which one is suitable.” Singh said that DPA can’t transfer the land ownership but provide it on a 60-year lease. “We will communicate to the civil aviation ministry with the details of identified land parcels.” At present, only two flights of 78-seater aircraft operate from Kandla airport, and the terminal handling capacity is 250-300 passengers. The Federation of Kutch Industries Association (FOKIA), the umbrella organization of all industries that came up after the earthquake, has also been feverishly pursuing the project with the AAI with a series of meetings. The AAI has already prepared a master plan for 2049 for air connectivity to Kutch and the need for the airport.
The Airport Authority of India asked airlines to start international flights from Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj Airport to destinations including Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok. The initiative, as stated by Airport Director Ramjee Awasthi, aims to enhance connectivity, promote tourism, and stimulate economic growth in the region, benefiting travellers and the local economy.
A senior AAI official told TOI: “We submitted the plan with projections of passengers considering the industrial and tourism development of Kutch to the state govt a couple of months ago. The potential for a new airport is huge.” Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the AAI had demanded 300 acres of land from the state govt to expand the existing airport. However, this much land was not available, and the AAI revised its estimate to 178 acres. The land acquisition hit a roadblock due to several issues of viability. So, AAI floated the idea of a greenfield airport by shelving the expansion plan.In June last year, the Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL) wrote to the Kutch collector to identify a land parcel within a 20-30 km radius of Kandla for the new airport. However, the process of identifying suitable govt wasteland is extremely slow, and nothing has materialized to date.
