After Central Government Cabinet sent back the note regarding taking over of operations at city’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport by GMR Airports Limited (GAL) with multiple queries, MIHAN India Limited (MIL) and AAI signed a lease agreement, said highly placed sources. The long-anticipated transformation of Nagpur Airport by GMR is already delayed by four months with one of the reasons being the absence of a lease agreement. According to sources, MIL came into being in the year 2009 as a joint venture. Surprisingly over the period, no lease agreement was signed. According to sources, MIL doesn’t have the Fire NOC, Environment Clearance for which the company has now started giving momentum to hold all the procedures.

 

The lease agreement was signed between AAI and MIL for 30 years, counted from 2009 when the latter came into existence. It means 16 years have already passed and now only 14 years remain. Of course at Ministry of Civil Aviation level, the 30-year lease will be transfered to GMR from MIL. Highly placed sources in Delhi told ‘The Hitavada’ that the preparedness of GMR to take over and start work at any given time is high. It was assumed that delay may lead to project going to different hands. But GMR won the battle in Supreme Court so it is not possible to change it now. The battle in court already delayed the project a bit but Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was consistently following up on it. A well-equipped building of 3 lakh square feet will be raised in this project, which will be built at a cost of around Rs 7,000 crore.

 

GMR Airports Limited (GAL) is expected to upgrade, develop, and operate Nagpur’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport and transform the airport into a modern aviation hub with advanced facilities. The upgradation is set to create a state-of-the-art airport infrastructure, which will expand both passenger and cargo operations. A key objective of MIHAN has always been to position Nagpur as a cargo hub, significantly enhancing cargo handling and logistics in the region. GMR Airports will lead the transformation of city airport into a world-class facility. The first phase of this transformation includes enhancing the passenger terminal capacity to 4 million passengers annually.

 

This ambitious project will also involve upgrading existing infrastructure, building a modern cargo terminal, and improving airside facilities with a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower. GMR Nagpur International Airport (GNIAL, a 100% subsidiary of GAL) and MIHAN India executed the concession agreement for the project. This transformation is set to not only enhance connectivity within the Vidarbha region but also strengthen its economic infrastructure. GAL’s commitment to modernising and expanding the airport includes a significant boost in cargo handling capabilities – increasing the capacity to 20,000 metric tons, said an official on condition of anonymity.