India pitching for new international airport in Gujarat
The west Indian state of Gujarat is building a brand new international airport at Dholera to attract a larger share of Middle Eastern traffic.
The west Indian state of Gujarat is building a brand new international airport at Dholera to attract a larger share of Middle Eastern traffic.
The Gujarat government has already formed Dholera International Airport Co. Ltd and is in the process of securing approvals from the Indian Government.
The move comes as the airport officials expect the existing Ahmedabad airport to become saturated before 2020. Expansion of the airport is not possible due to land constraints.
"We have applied for in-principle approval from the ministry of civil aviation for the airport project."
Bloomberg reported Dholera International Airport general manager Amit Chavda as saying that the new airport is targeting foreign airlines by offering an alternative hub to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other Middle Eastern airports.
A flight from London to Sydney, for example, will save fuel for more than 300km by using Dholera as a hub instead of Dubai.
Chavda said: "We have applied for in-principle approval from the ministry of civil aviation for the airport project. Japan International Cooperation Agency is preparing a detailed project survey."
As part of the efforts to attract foreign investnments, the new Indian Government under prime minister Narendra Modi has pledged to build more airports, roads and ports in the country.
The proposed Dholera airport project has been declared jointly by department of industrial policy and promotion, DMICDC and government of Gujarat.
