21 New Greenfield Airports in India

Greenfield Airports and Greenfield Projects have been in the news recently.

What is a Greenfield Project?

The construction of a project on a new alignment is categorized as a Greenfield project. The Greenfield project generally passes through new areas, wherein the per unit cost of land acquisition is generally less considering less development in these areas. Construction of Greenfield alignment generates new areas for development besides several other advantages.

What is a Brownfield project?

The widening/development of existing roads is categorized as a Brownfield Project.

Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 31 March 2022
Link: https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1811834

What are Greenfield Airports?

Greenfield airports are aviation facilities built from scratch on previously undeveloped or empty land. The term “greenfield” emphasises their environmentally friendly characteristics, as they aim to minimise the impact on nature during the construction and commissioning processes.

Importance of Greenfield Airports

Airports are usually situated in urban areas, and aviation activities can significantly impact the natural environment, contributing to environmental degradation, particularly in urban regions. To tackle this issue, the Indian government introduced the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy in 2008. The primary objective is to divert air traffic from existing urban airports to locations outside city centers, reducing pollution and environmental strain.
According to a report from Foreign Policy News in 2015, the significance of Greenfield airports lies in their ability to reduce the burden on existing airports located in crowded urban centers. Many airports in India are either at or reaching saturation levels, leading to pollution and other environmental problems. Greenfield airports can divert air traffic away from these congested areas to the outskirts, where their impact on the environment is lower. This initiative can help combat climate change by reducing pollution and its accumulation in the environment.
Source: https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-india-s-greenfield-airport-projects-123072600328_1.html

11 of 21 Greenfield airports have already been operationalised

Government of India has accorded ‘In-Principle’ approval for setting up of 21 new Greenfield Airports namely-

1. Mopa in Goa
2. Navi Mumbai
3. Shirdi in Maharashtra
4. Sindhudurg in Maharashtra
5. Kalaburagi in Karnataka
6. Vijayapura in Karnataka
7. Hassan in Karnataka
8. Shivamogga in Karnataka
9. Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh
10. Kushinagar and in Uttar Pradesh
11. Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh
12. Dholera in Gujarat
13. Hirasar in Gujarat
14. Karaikal in Puducherry
15. Dagadarthi in Andhra Pradesh
16. Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh
17. Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh
18. Durgapur in West Bengal
19. Pakyong in Sikkim
20. Kannur in Kerala
21. Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh

Out of these, 11 Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa and Shivamogga have been operationalised.

Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 24 July 2023
Link: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1942034

First Greenfield Airport in India

Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport located in Durgpur, West Bengal, is the country’s first Greenfield Airport.

Also read: Recently constructed Greenfield Airport – Question came in the UPSC Civil Services Exam (Prelims) 2024 – General Studies Paper 1 from this topic.