Government has given "in principle" approval for the establishment of 12 greenfield airports for public use in various parts of the country, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
"After the announcement of greenfield airport policy, an 'in principle' approval has been given for the establishment of 12 greenfield airports for public use," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said in a written reply.
The Airports Authority of India is constructing a new greenfield airport in Pakyong in Sikkim at an estimated cost of Rs 309 crores of which government is financing 90 per cent and rest 10 per cent is being funded through AAI's internal resources.
The scheduled completion date of this project is January 2012, Patel said.
The other greenfield airports, which have got 'in principle' approval from the Steering committee, set up as per the new greenfield airport policy, are Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; Kunnur in Kerala; Bijapur, Shimoga, Hassan and Gulbarga in Karnataka; Dabra Airport in Gwalior and Durgapur in West Bengal.
Apart from these, the government has also decided to construct two other greenfield airports in Cheithu in Nagaland and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, but these are in planning stages, the Minister said.