NEW DELHI: Dholera will soon get an airport within two years. A meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the proposal to develop phase I of a greenfield airport at Dholera, Gujarat, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,305 crore, to be completed within 48 months. This airport will also cater to the nearby region and serve as a second airport to Ahmedabad, the government said in a statement.
The project is being implemented by Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL), a JV of Airports Authority of India (AAI) that will have 51% stake in it; government of Gujarat (GoG) with 33% stake and National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) with the remaining 16% stake, the statement said.
“The new greenfield airport at Dholera is situated at an aerial distance of 80 km from Ahmedabad Airport. The airport is planned for operationalisation from 2025-26 and initial passenger traffic is estimated to be 3 lakh passengers per annum, expected to grow to 23 lakh over a period of 20 years. The annual cargo traffic is also estimated from the year 2025-26 at 20,000 tonne, which would increase to 2,73,000 tonne over a period of 20 years,” the statement added.
Dholera Airport is to get Passenger and Cargo traffic from Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) and is expected to become a major cargo hub to serve the industrial region.
