(a) the present status of the upgradation/modernisation of airports in the country including the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat;
(b) whether the Government proposes to upgrade/modernise airports of other cities;
(c) if so, the details thereof along with the time-limit proposed in this regard; and
(d) the status of upgradation of airports at other places in the country?
The Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Jayant Sinha)
(a) to (d): Upgradation/Modernisation of airports is a continuous process and is undertaken by Airports Authority of India(AAI) and concerned private operators from time to time depending on the availability of land, commercial viability, socio-economic considerations, traffic demand / willingness of airlines to operate to/from such airports. To meet the demand, AAI has embarked upon a Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) plan of Rs. 25,000 crores in next 4-5 years for development / modernisation / upgradation of terminal buildings of AAI airports in the country including Calicut in Kerala, Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Agartala in Tripura, Guwahati in Assam, Tiruchirapalli and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Agra and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, Dehradun in Uttarakhand, Jaipur in Rajasthan, Leh and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, Kolhapur and Pune in Maharashtra, Patna in Bihar, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Further, work for the extension of runway to 1300 feet at Jammu airport has been awarded and AAI has initiated action for construction of ATC Tower cum Technical Block at Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal, development of 15 parking bays, parallel taxi-track and New Domestic Terminal Building at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport in lndore and construction of New Terminal Building and ATC tower cum Technical block at Jabalpur Airport. In the State of Gujarat, work has been awarded for construction of Domestic Apron and Taxi Track at Ahmedabad Airport. Also, action has been initiated for extension of Terminal Building and construction of Parallel Taxi Track at Surat, construction of ATC Tower at Vadodara, extension of Terminal Building and extension of Apron at Jamnagar and construction of New Domestic Terminal Building at Ahmedabad Airport. Further, the concerned private operator has taken action to increase the overall capacity of the Delhi Airport by way of expansion & upgradation of Terminal-I and construction of 4th runway & Parallel Taxi Track. The timeline for construction of airport projects depends upon many factors such as land acquisition, availability of mandatory clearances, financial closure, etc. by the individual developer, which involve a lengthy and time consuming process.