Raipur | Correspondent: The central government has clarified that there are no plans to initiate international flights from Raipur.
In 2014, the then Chief Minister Raman Singh had announced that international flights would soon commence from Raipur.
However, even after 10 years, this has not implemented.
Now the central government reaffirmed the absence of such plans.
On Thursday, in response to a question by Raipur MP Brijmohan Agarwal in the Lok Sabha,
Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu denied of any proposal under consideration to designate Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur as an international airport.
Minister said that Government of India has formulated a Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008 for development of new Greenfield airports in the country.
As per the policy, if any airport developer including the State Government desires to develop an airport, they are required to identify a suitable site and get the Pre-feasibility Study conducted for construction of airport and submit a proposal to the Central Government for ‘Site Clearance’Followed by ‘InPrinciple’ approval.
As of now, no proposal under GFA Policy has been received in Ministry of Civil Aviation for construction of a Greenfield Airport in Chhattisgarh either from State Government of Chhattisgarh or any other Airport Developer.
He added that Swami Vivekananda airport at Raipur is a domestic airport.
Declaration of an airport as an International Airport depends upon traffic potential, demand from airlines for the operation of international flights, and bilateral Air Services Agreement besides provision of Ground Lighting facilities, Instrument Landing System, Runway length, Immigration, Health and Animal.
Plant Quarantine services etc. Currently, no such proposal for declaration of Swami Vivekananda airport as an International Airport is under consideration in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
What did Raman Singh say
On July 17, 2014, then Chief Minister Raman Singh announced that following a comprehensive discussion with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju in New Delhi,
it was agreed that international flights would soon commence from Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
In a press release from the state government, Chief Minister Raman Singh highlighted the significant progress Chhattisgarh had made in the ten years since becoming a new state, establishing it as a promising region in India.
He noted that Chhattisgarh houses the largest industrial plants in the country and is rapidly advancing in the service sector, leading to a significant increase in air traffic in Raipur over the past five years.
Raman Singh emphasized that Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur meets all the necessary criteria—facilities, capacity, and traffic—to handle international flights.
Additionally, he urged the Union Civil Aviation Minister to develop airports and initiate air services in Bilaspur, Jagdalpur, and Ambikapur, in line with the central government’s budget announcement to build airports in new cities.
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