Dholera International Airport

Dholera International Airport is a greenfield airport project currently in development in Gujarat, close to Dholera Metro City, within the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR). It's part of India's Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), designed to boost trade, connectivity, and industry in that region. It's not a tiny regional airstrip at all. The proposal comprises:

• Different terminals for international & domestic passengers
• Dedicated cargo services to serve manufacturing parks, export parks, and e-commerce
• A Code E capable runway in Phase 1 (large-aircraft like Boeing 777, Airbus A330)
• Early target capacity: ~10 million passengers/year in Phase 1. Subsequent phases will scale it up: more terminals, more runways, and increased logistics infrastructure.

Where It's Located & Why That's Important?

Location is important here:

• Located close to Navagam village in Dholera Taluka.
• Approximately 80 km from Ahmedabad, 20 km from Dholera Metro City.
• Location close to ports (Bhavnagar, Pipavav) and connectivity with future transport infrastructure: the Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) rail line.

And therefore, it is intended to be a hub for not only passengers, but also cargo, export, and logistics streams. It's designed as a multimodal node.

Timeline, Cost & Who's Doing It

• The airport is being built by the Government of Gujarat and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) together, under a company named Dholera International Airport Company Ltd (DIACL).
• Land acquisition and environmental clearance for Phase-1 are completed. Construction began in 2023.
• Estimated cost for Phase-1: ₹1,305 crores.
• Anticipated completion of Phase-1: 2026.

What It Brings to the Table

There are multiple layers of advantage:

Industrial & Urban Growth

The airport enables Dholera to be a smart, planned city in its dream. For industries, investors, and residents: reduced travel time, improved logistics. Export parks, manufacturers, and e-commerce players benefit.

Boost to DMIC & Cargo Flow

Air cargo becomes simpler for DMIC zone goods. Near ports + rail connectivity + expressway = easier movement. The airport is at the end of this chain.

Economic Spillovers

Employment generation (direct + indirect), increased investment, increased tourist inflow, and development for industries such as electronics, textiles, pharma, etc. Additionally, greater international access facilitates FDI.

Smarter Connectivity

It's not airplanes alone. It's the metro, expressway, freight train, and ports. So that people and goods can travel effortlessly between modes.

Challenges & What's at Stake

What might keep it from happening—at least in part:

• Execution risk: Large projects such as these tend to experience delays in construction, regulatory permission, and environmental concerns. Even if Phase-1 is planned for 2026, concerns of delay are there.
• Demand ramp-up: Capacity is planned, but it is up to how quickly industries, locals, and commerce catch up.

Around it, infrastructure has to keep pace. The expressway, metro, and rail lines — if those take a hit, some of the positives get diluted.

Final Thought

Dholera International Airport is not another airport. It's intended as a support for a dream: transform Dholera SIR into a globally-sized industrial, export, smart-city hub with quick connectivity. If all goes according to plan, by mid-this decade, it will be a game-changer for the economy of Gujarat.