The ambitious plan to develop a second major airport for Telangana, a project long in the pipeline, continues to be mired in uncertainty. Proposals for three new greenfield airports in the state have encountered significant roadblocks at various stages of evaluation, according to recent disclosures by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).
Feasibility Studies Reveal Major Constraints
Recent feasibility studies have delivered a blow to the state's aviation expansion dreams. The ministry informed Parliament that the proposed airport sites at Kothagudem and Mahabubnagar have been ruled out due to serious physical and urban constraints. Officials cited the presence of hillocks around the identified land in Kothagudem as a primary hurdle. For Mahabubnagar, dense residential developments and overhead power lines in the vicinity rendered the location unsuitable.
The third site, at Jakranpally in Nizamabad district, was found to be technically feasible. However, its progress is contingent upon the removal of man-made obstacles and, critically, securing a mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Defence. The state government is now actively exploring alternative land parcels for both Kothagudem and Mahabubnagar.
Warangal Airport Upgrade Also Faces Delays
Parallel efforts to upgrade the existing Warangal airport into a full-fledged domestic airport have also progressed at a slow pace. The MoCA highlighted a key bottleneck: the Telangana government is yet to hand over approximately 253 acres of land required by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the project. This land acquisition process has been pending for over four years.
Despite this, a senior state official expressed optimism about the Warangal project, stating, "Our current focus is on the Warangal airport, where nearly 90% of the procedural work has been completed. The groundbreaking ceremony is expected to take place next month."
The Long Road Under GFA Policy
The development of any new airport in India is governed by the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy of 2008. As explained by Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha MP Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju, the policy places the onus of implementation and funding squarely on the project proponent, which is often the state government.
The process involves multiple stages:
- Identifying a suitable site.
- Conducting a pre-feasibility study.
- Submitting a proposal to the Centre for site clearance.
- Obtaining in-principle approval.
The final timeline for completion depends heavily on factors like land acquisition, financial closure, and obtaining statutory environmental clearances. Telangana had initially proposed pre-feasibility studies for four sites: Anthergaon (Peddapalli), Kothagudem, Mahabubnagar, and Jakranpally. Studies for three, excluding Anthergaon, have been completed with mixed results.
In a new development, the state has directed the Adilabad district collector to identify around 700 acres for another proposed greenfield airport. Earlier, the state had identified over 900 acres in Kothagudem, though part of that land was forested, adding another layer of complexity.
The collective delays underscore the significant challenges facing regional aviation infrastructure development in Telangana, leaving the state's need for a second major airport unfulfilled for the foreseeable future.
