The Civil Aviation Ministry, on Thursday, cleared a proposal for setting up a second airport in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The GMR Group, which operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, would be preferred for developing the proposed airport, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said.
The proposal, he said, would soon be sent to the Cabinet for approval. According to Mr. Sharma, GMR Group — the majority stakeholder in the venture that operates the Delhi International Airport — is proposed to be accorded the right of first refusal with regard to the new project. Once accorded, GMR would have the first right to develop the project, if interested, before any other entity.
For the new project, the government would be required to amend certain regulations as existing rules do not allow a second airport within a 150 kilometre radius of an existing one, unless the latter is functioning beyond its operational capacity.
Mr. Sharma has several times expressed the need for having a second airport in the NCR, especially due to the rising number of air travellers. — PTI
