The government on Tuesday approved the development of a greenfield airport at Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan at an estimated cost of ₹1,507 crore.
The proposal, cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be executed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The Rajasthan government has already transferred 440.06 hectares of land to AAI for the project, which will be capable of handling A-321 type aircraft.
The planned facility will include a terminal building of 20,000 sq m with the capacity to handle 1,000 peak-hour passengers and an annual traffic of 2 million passengers. It will also feature a 3,200-metre-long runway, apron with seven parking bays, link taxiways, an ATC-cum-technical block, fire station, car park and other allied infrastructure.
Kota, situated on the banks of the Chambal river, is recognised as Rajasthan’s industrial hub and is also known as the country’s coaching capital. Officials said the greenfield airport will be a crucial infrastructure addition in view of the expected rise in air traffic from the region.
The existing Kota airport, also under AAI, has a much smaller runway (1,220 m) suitable only for smaller Code ‘B’ aircraft such as the Dornier-228. Its 400 sq m terminal can handle just 50 passengers during peak hours and lacks scope for commercial expansion due to urbanisation around the site.