Long before the first passenger gets a chance to check in for a flight from Delhi?s proposed second airport, to be situated in the southern tip of Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, the contours of this ambitious new project would have undergone zillions of changes. It is an investment starved sector, don?t forget, and any such mega project is likely to have political parties at the state and Centre, along with corporate investors, locking horns to ensure they get the most favourable deals. To an extent, the ensuing brawl would be welcome. At least, it will reduce the possibility of any single entity cornering all the gains to be had. In the context of UP, which is trying to create a new commercial corridor all the way from Delhi to Agra, it might also demonstrate to the state?s political leadership how a focus on attracting investments could result in electoral dividends better than the usual claptrap of caste and communal politics. The airport has the potential to alter the profile of several districts much more significantly than the drip benefits of identity-based reservations and other measures that have held this state in thrall. The new airport is expected to cost about Rs 5,000 crore. This could have a multiplier effect far in excess of that brought about by the annual Rs 1,000 crore that the UP government invests in infrastructure. An entire business district could emerge around the airport, and high-quality roads, hotels, hospitals and residential complexes could follow, boosting the local economy.
To let an airport in Greater Noida come up, the civil aviation policy would have to dispense with the restriction of two airports necessarily being at least 150 km apart. This is an arbitrary distance, and does not take into account the vast urban sprawl that Delhi?s larger metropolitan region is growing into as it expands in all directions. Expecting people living close to Bulandshahr to catch flights from Palam is unrealistic. Also, Indian business and air travel are set to expand so hugely over the next few decades that the NCR could easily support two airports, both of them thriving on ever-increasing demand. Dial, which runs Delhi?s existing airport, should therefore have no misgivings about obtaining returns on its investment. Of course, it cannot afford to let its starting advantage slip. Its Palam location is unparalleled.
