Bhiwadi set to house second airport in Delhi NCR, not Jewar

The second airport for the National Capital Region is set to come up at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, the BJP-ruled state, and not Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, which was earlier proposed by the Mayawati government.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Bhiwadi in Rajasthan is likely to have the second airport in the National Capital Region of Delhi, following the civil aviation ministry's approval to the project on Thursday.

The erstwhile Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh had proposed an airport in Jewar in Greater Noida, which was also seconded by the ruling Samajwadi party government in Uttar Pradesh. 

According to The Economic Times report, the project will require waiver of the clause that bars an airport to come up within 150 km radius of the existing Delhi airport, which has been built and is being operated by GMR Infrastructure-led consortium Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). 

The report quoting a senior ministry official said the government will provide all approvals required for the airport project. As per the norms, GMR Infrastructure will have the right of first refusal for the Bhiwadi project, the official said. 

The Bengaluru-based company will be asked to match the lowest bid arrived at after the bidding process for the proposed airport. The airport in Bhiwadi, which will be developed by the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), has been approved after a detailed study of traffic projections for the Delhi airport, the report said. 

The existing airport will achieve 100 million capacity between 2021 and 2023, thereby reaching saturation point, they said.