Govt initiates pan-India study to review building height restrictions around airports

A multi-city study with International Civil Aviation Organization aims to address construction height restrictions around airports, Civil Aviation Minister said

Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said on Feb 13 that the government has initiated a nationwide study, with assistance from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to identify solutions to address height restrictions near airports without compromising aviation safety.

“We have engaged the International Civil Aviation Organization and are conducting a nationwide study, across existing and future cities, to develop technological advancements and appropriate regulations that enable safe air travel, and cities can also grow," Naidu said at the National Urban and Real Estate Development Conclave 2026 held in the national capital.

Study underway to address height curbs for buildings near airports, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said at the Naredco Conclave 2026 on Feb 13. (File Photo )

He said that the civil aviation sector is growing continuously, but the challenge is the height restrictions on buildings around airports, especially in metros like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai.

The team is visiting all the cities and looking at technologies and aviation operations. After considering all the feedback, a report will be prepared, he said.

Once the report is ready, the minister said, efforts would be undertaken to create an environment that allows the infrastructure to grow in all these urban cities. "I am actively working on a solution for this area".

He said that India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets and that there are currently 165 operational airports in the country. On average, a new airport or a new terminal is built every 33 days, Naidu said.

Naidu observed that airports are the "scaffolding" for the real estate sector. The real estate sector is projected to be worth $1 trillion by 2030 and to further increase to $5-7 trillion by 2047.

“The Navi Mumbai International Airport is catalyzing nearly 25 million square meters of residential, commercial and logistics development in its influential zone. And even before the operations commence, the upcoming Noida International Airport has already triggered an 8 to 10 times surge in real estate activity in the surrounding region,” he said.

“This is why I say that the airports are not only just mere transit hubs, they are dynamic engines for economic activity and urban development," he said.

At a broader level, Naidu said a single airport influences multiple sectors, including real estate, tourism, trade and commerce, healthcare and education, with a wide economic impact on an entire city or region.

He said the need of the hour is to focus on the quality of life alongside living standards in real estate development. Through this, "we will be creating well-being", the minister said.

“When I speak to young home buyers, they are no longer talking about the square footage of the home they want to own. They are talking about air quality," he said. Naidu said the new premium is not the imported marble that you are going to use in the house.

The definition of luxury goes beyond amenities inside a building to the environment created around it. Focusing only on standards, he said, results in merely creating assets.

“But if we are focusing on quality, we are creating well-being. And that is why it is important that all of us focus on the standard of living also with quality of living. And Viksit Bharat must be about well-being at scale,” he said.