Om Birla reviews progress of Kota-Bundi greenfield airport, commercial flights to begin by Dec 2027
Jaipur, May 26
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday chaired a high-level review meeting on the progress of the Kota-Bundi Greenfield Airport, assessing construction timelines and key infrastructure requirements for the upcoming aviation project.
The meeting was held at the Lok Sabha Speaker's office in the Parliament House complex, with senior officials from the Airports Authority of India participating in the meeting.
Officials from multiple departments, including the Kota Divisional Administration, Bundi district administration, Kota Development Authority, Power Grid, Public Health Engineering Department, and the Forest Department, joined the review meeting through video conferencing.
During the meeting, officials told that construction work on the greenfield airport is progressing as per schedule.
They said that the airport is expected to be ready for aircraft operations on the runway by October 2027, while regular commercial air services are likely to commence by December 2027.
The airport is being developed over an area of 1,088 acre and will feature a 3.2-km runway capable of accommodating large aircraft.
Officials also said the project is designed with a projected passenger handling capacity of around 2 million passengers annually and will be equipped with modern aviation infrastructure.
Speaker Birla directed officials to ensure that complete immigration facilities are made available at the Kota airport itself, so that international passengers do not need to depend on major hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai, or Jaipur for clearance procedures.
He emphasised the need for seamless international travel readiness at the facility.
He also instructed authorities to explore the feasibility of setting up an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility near the airport to promote aviation-linked industrial development and generate employment opportunities in the region.
In addition, the Lok Sabha Speaker suggested examining the possibility of establishing a flying training school at the site of the existing old airport.
Officials briefed that the project is expected to boost economic activity across the Hadoti region, strengthening connectivity and opening opportunities in trade, tourism, investment, and industry.
According to the plan, the airport is expected to give a major push to regional development and provide the Kota-Bundi region with enhanced national and international connectivity.
Senior officials including Joint Secretary of the Lok Sabha Secretariat Gaurav Goyal, and Officer on Special Duty to the Speaker Rajesh Goyal were also present during the review meeting.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is exactly the kind of infrastructure push regional India needs. The idea of having immigration at Kota itself is smart — reduces pressure on Delhi and Mumbai airports.
Impressive vision with MRO and flying school plans. Employment generation through aviation-linked industries is the need of the hour for smaller towns. Hope the execution matches the ambition.
Actually, I'm cautiously optimistic. Many such projects get stuck in land acquisition or funding issues. But if this actually starts operations by 2027, it will transform tourism in Hadoti — Chambal safari, Kota palaces all become more accessible.
Good to see parliamentary leadership pushing regional airports. The 3.2 km runway for large aircraft and 2 million passenger capacity is world-class. Kota could become a logistics hub for central India.
Only concern is that with private players, ticket prices might be high for locals. Hope there's some affordable connectivity plan for common people, not just business travellers.
As someone from Kota, this is long overdue. Our city has grown so much with coaching centres but air connectivity was pathetic. Now students from northeast and south can fly directly for IIT-JEE prep. Big boost for education sector too!
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