The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) proposal to develop a Greenfield Airport at Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan at an estimated cost of Rs 15.1 billion.

Kota, located on the banks of the Chambal River, is recognised as the industrial capital of Rajasthan and as India’s educational coaching hub. To support its growing significance, the Rajasthan Government has transferred 440.06 hectares of land to AAI for the airport’s development.

The upcoming facility will be designed for A-321 type aircraft operations and will include a terminal building spanning 20,000 sqm with a capacity of 1,000 peak hour passengers and an annual handling capacity of 2 million passengers. Other infrastructure features include a 3,200 m x 45 m runway (11/29), an apron with seven parking bays for A-321 type aircraft, two link taxiways, an ATC cum technical block, fire station, car park and allied facilities.

The project is seen as a critical development to meet the anticipated passenger growth driven by Kota’s prominence in education and industry. The existing Kota Airport, owned by AAI, is limited to handling smaller Code 'B' aircraft such as the DO-228. Its runway measures only 1,220 m x 38 m, the apron accommodates just two small aircraft, and its 400 sqm terminal handles a peak of 50 passengers. Due to restricted land availability and dense urbanisation, the current airport cannot be expanded for commercial operations.