The Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted 'In-Principle' approval for the establishment of 21 new greenfield airports under the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy of 2008.

This policy mandates that any interested developer, including State Governments, must identify a suitable site and conduct a pre-feasibility study before submitting a proposal for central government clearance, Northeast Today.

Out of the 21 approved airports, seven are designated as green international airports. These include Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, Noida-Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Karaikal in Puducherry, and Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already commenced the development of Hirasar and Dholera airports, investing Rs 1,405 crore and Rs 1,305 crore respectively from its own resources. The remaining greenfield airport projects will be financed by the respective airport developers.

The list of the other 14 approved airports comprises Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan, and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, Dagadarthi and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala, and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.

It is worth noting that several airports, including Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa, and Shivamogga, have already commenced operations. The upgradation of airports to international status is determined by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and airport operators, considering factors such as commercial viability, traffic demand, and land availability.