Dholera International Airport – Status, Master Plan & Design
Dholera International Airport at Navagam village near Ahmedabad, Gujarat is being developed by Dholera International Airport Company Ltd. (DIACL) with a multi-phase master plan to ultimately handle 50 million passengers per annum in the future.
The greenfield airport is being developed in Saurashtra within the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) as part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The airport will feature an aerocity with 75 hectares for commercial developments, cargo facilities and ultimately two runways – 3200 m and 4000 m long.
The project’s owner DIACL is a joint-venture of Airports Authority of India (AAI), Government of Gujarat (GoG) and National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) holding equity in the ratio of 51:33:16.
Dholera Airport’s Phase 1 is expected to be completed and opened in March 2026 (current deadline).
- Area: 1426 hectares
- Estimated Cost: Rs. 1,378 crore (Phase 1)
- Nodal Agency: Dholera International Airport Company Ltd. (DIACL)
- Owner & Operator: Airports Authority of India (AAI)
- Architect: Unknown
- Civil Construction Contractor: Yashnand Engineers and Contractors (terminal building, ATC tower, cargo building) & Varaha Infra (runway, taxiway, apron etc.)
Current Status & Tenders
As of July 2024, Dholera Airport’s Phase 1 is expected to be completed and opened in March 2026 (current deadline).
In January 2024, Yashnand Engineers & Contractors was awarded Dholera Airport’s Rs. 333 crore contract to construct its passenger terminal building, ATC tower and cargo complex.
In June 2021, Varaha Infra was declared as the lowest bidder for the construction of Dholera Airport’s infrastructure including runway, taxiways, aprons, perimeter road etc.
In January 2020, RITES emerged as the lowest bidder among 8 firms for its Engineering Consultancy contract.
Location & Access
Dholera Airport’s site is located north of Dholera Smart City & Bhavanagar, and south of Ahmedabad city (view on Google Maps).
The site is accessible via NH-751 highway. In the future, Dholera Airport will be connected to Ahmedabad through the under construction 109 km Ahmedabad – Dholera Expressway and a semi high speed rail line. A monorail line has been planned, but will likely not be constructed.
Master Plan
Dholera International Airport will be capable of handling 1.5 million passengers per year after the completion of its Phase 1 in 2026 and 50 million passengers per year after its final phase.
The final design of Phase 1’s terminal building has not been finalized. A tender notice for it is currently pending. Here’s the layout of the airport’s infrastructure and apron area:
Design & Architecture
Here a few design renderings of Dholera Airport’s terminal via AAI’s tender documents:
Page last updated: August 26, 2024. Have a question or spot an error? Let me know here.