Plan for second airport in Delhi Region cleared by Civil Aviation Ministry

The National Capital region may soon get a second airport. The Civil Aviation Ministry cleared a proposal for a second airport in the region on Thursday.  

The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said that GMR Group that operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport Ltd here, will be preferred for developing the proposed airport. The proposal, cleared by the Ministry yesterday, will soon be sent to the Cabinet for approval, he said.

According to Sharma, GMR Group -- the majority stakeholder in the venture that operates the Delhi International Airport -- is proposed to be accorded the right of first refusal with regard to the new project.

Once accorded, GMR Group will have the first right to develop the project, if interested, before any other entity.

For the new airport, the government will be required to amend certain regulations as existing rules do not allow a second airport within a 150 kilometre radius of an existing one, unless the latter is functioning beyond its operational capacity.

Sharma has several times expressed the need for having a second airport in the National Capital Region (NCR) especially due to rising number of air travellers.

Delhi Airport handled 40 million passengers during 2014-15 period and the number is expected to rise further.