AAI suspends land acquisition for Surat airport expansion

Time of India

2 days ago

Surat: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked the Surat collector to put in abeyance the process to acquire 25.33 acres of land to expand the Surat airport.
The AAI and Gujarat govt had signed an MoU in Dec 2023, under which AAI proposed to expand the airport precinct and put in place the CAT-1 approach lighting system and an ASR-MSSR radar facility.
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Sources said AAI officials have told the collector's office they do not want the land.
It is germane that Runway 22 is already displaced by 615m, due to alleged illegal constructions affecting the aircraft funnel path. With no CAT-1 instrument landing system (ILS), safety concerns will persist.
A senior Surat airport official, on condition of anonymity, told TOI: "We noticed there are no major diversions due to fog or smoke for which the CAT-1 lighting system would be needed.
We do not have much fog like Delhi or Amritsar. We felt spending crores on the system was unnecessary as we don't have major issues. In the last year, only three flights were diverted due to fog. We thus asked the collector to put the land acquisition in abeyance.
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Surat collectorate officials confirmed having received the request. "As AAI does not need the land anymore, we will not proceed with the acquisition process," said an official.
The acquisition plan was referred to as the Surat Airport Expansion Project by AAI and the Gujarat govt's civil aviation department. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) for it had been signed in Dec 2023, agreeing to acquire land through a special land acquisition officer under the observation of the Surat collector.
AAI had asked for 20.33 acres of land for the CAT-1 approach lighting system and five acres for the ASR and MSSR facility.
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A request for 25.33 acres was made by two letters written in April 2025 and May 2025. The AAI suddenly decided they did not want the land anymore.
It was proposed that the 25.33 acres of land would be acquired from 20 owners, for which a budget of Rs 215 crore had been approved. With the CAT-1 and advanced radar project put on hold, aviation experts raised concerns about safety issues.
An aviation expert said: "The CAT-I lighting system is vital for ensuring safe landings during low visibility conditions, especially in winters and monsoons.
Its importance is amplified at Surat airport, where Runway 22 is already displaced by 615 metres due to obstacle limitations — a matter currently under litigation through a public interest litigation (PIL)."
He added: "The airport regularly handles diverted flights from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Vadodara in adverse weather. Additionally, fog in winter and industrial smoke from the Hazira-Sachin belt, along with the heavy monsoon rain, often reduce visibility below safe landing limits. With 24x7 operations and a high volume of landings on Runway 22, which is shortened by 615 metres due to the height obstacle issue, leaving merely 2291 metres, CAT I lighting would provide visual guidance to ensure safe and uninterrupted landings in low visibility.
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ASR-MSSR is a modern radar system used at airports and by air traffic control for surveillance and navigation. ASR stands for Airport Surveillance Radar and MSSR stands for Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar.