Nagpur airport Phase I targeted for June 2029 after fresh IAF land agreement

Nagpur’s airport expansion has moved closer to the next stage after the Indian Air Force agreed to immediately hand over 9 hectares of its land for construction of a new terminal building.

The remaining 18 hectares required for the project will be made available by June 2028, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday following a meeting with defence minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, reported The Times of India.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari also joined the meeting online, along with senior Air Force and Maharashtra government officials.

Fadnavis said the necessary construction permissions would also be granted along with the handover of the 9 hectares required for the terminal building.

“This positive outcome will facilitate the timely completion of Phase I of the Nagpur Airport development before June 2029,” Fadnavis said in a post on X.

The chief minister had travelled to Delhi to seek an early handover of the remaining IAF land required for the airport expansion.

Under the arrangement, the Maharashtra government and GMR Nagpur International Airport Ltd (GNIAL), which operates the airport, will provide connectivity to the new Air Force site and support the IAF’s day-to-day operations until new defence facilities are completed.

The land transfer is a key component of the planned expansion of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport and is expected to allow the development of additional passenger-handling infrastructure and increase the airport’s capacity to cater for future traffic.

The arrangement also includes construction-related access and permissions in areas currently used for helicopter parking and other IAF activities. This will facilitate the movement of heavy machinery required for the airport project.

The airport expansion is being planned in phases, with the first phase now targeted for completion before June 2029.