Dholera Airport 80% Complete, Operations Targeted by September–October 2026: Ram Mohan Naidu

Construction of Dholera International Airport in Gujarat is 80 per cent complete, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said on July 14, 2026, after reviewing progress at the site. He said the airport is expected to become operational within three months, with commercial operations targeted for September or October 2026.

According to the review, the runway, taxiway, Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and ancillary buildings have been completed. The passenger terminal building is about 75 per cent complete. The Minister directed contractors to finish the remaining on-site work by September 2026.

Naidu said the Ministry of Civil Aviation would work with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to get the airport's operating licence within the next three months. This would allow commercial operations to begin by September or October. Licensing and the remaining terminal work are planned to be completed side by side.

The airport will have a passenger terminal of about 25,000 square metres, with a capacity of around 2 million passengers a year. A dedicated cargo terminal of about 2,500 square metres is also being built to support industries in the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR). The airport has a 3,200-metre runway designed for large aircraft.

The airport is being developed by the Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL), a joint venture of the Airports Authority of India (51 per cent), the Government of Gujarat (33 per cent) and the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (16 per cent). The cost of Phase 1 is estimated at about Rs 1,305 crore. The project site is spread over about 1,426 hectares in Dholera taluka of Ahmedabad district, around 80 km from Ahmedabad and about 20 km from the Dholera SIR.

Naidu said the airport is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for Dholera as a future manufacturing and industrial centre. He described it as an "Aerotropolis" designed to support manufacturing and industrial investment beyond regular aviation operations. "Dholera is being designed as a model of multi-modal connectivity," he said, referring to the planned integration of air, rail and road links in the region.

The Minister also announced that Brazil's Embraer and Adani Aviation Systems have finalised a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a final assembly line for India's first civilian "Make in India" aircraft at Dholera. The first aircraft is targeted to roll out in 2028. Specialised hangars for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of C-295 defence aircraft are also planned at the airport.

The airport is expected to support the wider industrial growth in Dholera, including the semiconductor fab being built by Tata Electronics. The site is linked to the Ahmedabad–Dholera Expressway and a six-lane highway, and a rail corridor to the region has also been approved.

Senior officials present at the review included Civil Aviation Secretary Sameer Kumar Sinha, Airports Authority of India Chairman Vipin Kumar, and representatives of the Gujarat government and the airport's construction consortium.

The start of commercial flights will depend on the completion of the terminal building, DGCA licensing, calibration and trial operations. Airline schedules and the official opening date have not yet been announced.