Greenfield Kota-Bundi Airport: The Centre on Tuesday announced a new airport in Rajasthan, named Green Field Airport at Kota-Bundi, with an estimated cost of Rs 1,507 crore. Giving details about the decision, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the development of the airport.

It said the Rajasthan government has already transferred 440.06 hectares of land to AAI for development of a Greenfield Airport, suitable for operation of A-321 type aircraft.

Besides this, the Cabinet has also approved the construction of 6-Lane Access-Controlled Capital Region Ring Road (Bhubaneswar Bypass, 110.875 km) in Odisha on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a capital cost of Rs 8,307.74 crore

Currently, the connectivity between Rameshwar to Tangi on existing National Highway experience significant congestion due to high traffic volumes, passing through highly urbanized cities Khordha, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

To address these challenges, the project is proposed to be developed as 6-Lane Access-Controlled Greenfield Highway, he added.

What all will the project include?

The Centre said under the development project, a Terminal Building spanning an area of 20,000 sqm will be constructed, which will be capable of handling 1000 Peak Hour Passengers (PHP) with annual capacity of 2 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA).

Runway 11/29 of dimensions 3200m x 45m, Apron with 07 parking bays for A-321 type aircraft, two Link Taxiways, ATC cum Technical Block, Fire Station, car park and allied works are all part of the project.

The government said Kota’s prominence in the educational and industrial sectors makes the Greenfield Airport a critical infrastructure project, aimed at addressing the anticipated traffic growth in the region.

About Kota airport

Kota in Rajasthan already has an airport, operated and managed by the AAI. It currently has a runway (08/26) of dimensions 1220 m x 38 m, suitable for Code ‘B’ aircraft (such as DO-228), and an apron capable of accommodating two such aircraft.

The terminal building spans an area of 400 sqm and is capable of handling 50 passengers during peak hours. The government said that the existing airport cannot be developed for commercial operations due to inadequate land availability and urbanization around the airport.