GMR to build 2nd Delhi airport
Aviation experts believe a second airport for Delhi could also put GMR in a financial spot
New Delhi: In a major decision, the civil aviation ministry has given “in principle” approval for a second international and domestic airport for Delhi which will be built “in the National Capital Region (NCR)”, minister of state for civil aviation Dr Mahesh Sharma said on Thursday. The NCR includes areas near the Capital that falls in neighbouring states such as UP and Haryana.
“We (the ministry) have give in principle approval for this. A decision has been taken. It will be built in the NCR. We need a second airport for Delhi,” Dr Sharma told this newspaper on Thursday. When asked whether it would be built in Jewar (near greater Noida) in UP, he said, “It can be built at Jewar. There is land available.”
Incidentally, Jewar falls within Dr Sharma’s parliamentary constituency of Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) in UP neighbouring Delhi. As per current norms, the GMR group that heads DIAL, the airport operator of the current New Delhi IGI airport will have to be offered the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) if the site of the proposed new airport falls within 150 km of the IGI airport. Ministry sources indicated that GMR would therefore be preferred as per norms for developing the proposed new airport. Some aviation experts believe a second airport for Delhi could also put GMR in a financial spot.