New Delhi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other airport developers have targeted a capital outlay of approximately Rs. 98000 crores in the airport sector in the next five years for the expansion and modernizing of existing terminals, new terminals, and strengthening of runways, among other activities. Out of this, about Rs. 60000 crores has been allocated for the development of existing airports and about Rs. 38000 crores has been allocated for the establishment of new Greenfield airports, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Monday.
The statistics were shared by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation Gen. Dr. V K Singh (Retd) in a written reply to a question from Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam inquiring about the total number of ongoing projects of civil aviation in the country including the details of their total cost.
According to the MoS, there are a total of 25 major ongoing projects costing more than Rs 150 crore which include "the Construction of a New Domestic Terminal Building and other structures (Phase I and II) at Patna airport (Rs 1216.90 crore), the Construction of NITB and allied works at Port Blair airport (Rs 707.73 crore), Construction of New Green Field Airport at Hollongi, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 645.63 crore), Construction of Greenfield Airport Hirasar, Rajkot (Rs 1405.00 crore), and several others.
The Minister also mentioned the "in-Principle approval for setting up of 21 new Greenfield Airports" and that the total estimated project cost of these 21 Greenfield airport projects is more than Rs. 45,000 crores. Out of these, 11 Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa, and Shivamogga have been operationalized.
As for the details of the projects delayed along with the reasons, MoS noted that "The timelines for construction/ upgradation of airports depend upon various factors such as land acquisition, mandatory clearances, removal of obstacles, financial closure, etc. by the respective
airport developers."
"The nationwide lockdown and other impacts of covid-19 pandemic e.g. demobilization of manpower, discontinuation of the supply chain, etc., and unprecedented adverse weather conditions have been the main attributing factors for delaying the upgradation projects undertaken by AAI", it added.
