The Union Cabinet on November 2 gave approval to the change of name of the Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, Itanagar. The airport will now be known as “Donyi Polo Airport”, Itanagar. The new name is aimed at reflecting Arunachal people’s reverence of the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo) and symbolizes the rich cultural heritage of the State.
In January 2019, the Government of India had given its “in-principle” approval for the construction of the Hollongi Greenfield Airport. The airport is being developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) with assistance from the Central Government and the State Government of Arunachal Pradesh. The Resolution was passed by the State Government of Arunachal Pradesh to name the airport ‘Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar’.
Donyi Polo Airport
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on March 3, 2022 had announced that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is undertaking the construction of a Greenfield Airport in Hollongi, 15 km from Itanagar. The development will foster better air connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh.
Presently, two airports – Tezu and Passighat are operational in Arunachal Pradesh. In line with the Prime Minister’s vision of developing the North-East region as the growth engine of India, the Donyi Polo Airport will be the third operational airport for Arunachal Pradesh, taking the total airport count in the North-East region to 16. Till 2014, there were 9 operational airports in the region. Further, aircraft movements have increased by 113%, from 852 per week in the year 2014 to 1817 per week in 2022.
About the Airport
The airport is equipped with eight check-in counters and all modern passenger facilities. The development work also includes the construction of ATC tower cum technical block, fire station, medical center, and other ancillary works. Among the green initiatives are an energy-efficient terminal building provisioned with Rain Water Harvesting system and sustainable landscape.
With the airport, aerial connectivity gets a boost, along with the allied local economy. The connectivity to the capital city Itanagar will improve, thus reducing traveling time. The development will also give impetus to job prospects in the State. It is also in line with PM Narendra Modi’s vision for transforming Arunachal Pradesh into a major gateway to SouthEast Asia by developing modern infrastructure across the state.
Greenfield Project
A greenfield airport is built from scratch on a new or undeveloped site. The word ‘greenfield’ means a project that does not have any constraints imposed by prior work. Such airports are constructed to support the projected requirements of the traffic of the existing airport.
The Government formulated the Greenfield Airport Policy, 2008 to provide extant guidelines for the development of greenfield airports in the country.
The Central government has accorded approval for the construction of 21 greenfield airports in the country. Among these, the Gautam Buddha Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh will have the country’s biggest airport. In addition to this, the greenfield airports would be set up in places such as Mopa (Goa), Navi Mumbai, Shirdi, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Bijapur, Hassan, and Shimoga in Karnataka.
The greenfield airports will also be set up in Datia (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram, and Oravackal in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.
WhatsApp us