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Gujarat: Union Cabinet clears Dholera greenfield airport plan
Dholera airport, which will serve as the second airport Ahmedabad and other nearby region, will be connected by broad gauge railways, dedicated freight corridor as well as six-lane expressways, the government release said.
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the development of Phase 1 of new greenfield airport at Dholera in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district at a cost of ₹1,305 crore.
Located 80km from Ahmedabad, the airport is expected to be ready for passenger as well as cargo operations by 2026, the Union government said in a press release. The decision was taken by the cabinet committee on economic affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
“Union cabinet approves development of phase I of new greenfield airport at Dholera. The Dholera International Airport Company Ltd will construct it and 1,501 hectares of land made available for this,” the office of Anurag Thakur, Union minister of information and broadcasting, said in a tweet.
Dholera airport, which will serve as the second airport Ahmedabad and other nearby region, will be connected by broad gauge railways, dedicated freight corridor as well as six-lane expressways, the government release said.
Runway of 3km will be constructed and is expected to handle 300,000 passengers in the first year which is expected to go up to 2.4 million passengers in the next 20 years. Moreover, it is expected to handle 20,000 tonnes of cargo in 2025, the release added.
The project is being implemented by Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL), which is a joint venture company comprising Airports Authority of India (AAI) with 51% stake, the Gujarat government with 33% and National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) holding 16% stake.
“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. This airport will also cater to the nearby region and serve as a second airport to Ahmedabad,” the government release added.
