Land identified for proposed Ekta Nagar airport: Govt

The reply of the government, shared by Mehta, stated, “Of the land selected for the airport, about 210 sq m is private land and permission has been received from the state government on November 20, 2023, to proceed with the land acquisition… Statue of Unity sees a large number of domestic and international tourists and so, it has been decided to develop a modern airport in the area.” The reply added that a pre-feasibility report is currently being prepared by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). “After the report is prepared, work on the land acquisition will begin.”

Mehta told The Indian Express, “I had sought details of the airport at Ekta Nagar… because Statue of Unity has become such a world famous destination that it is necessary to have direct connectivity from cities like Ahmedabad and Mumbai.”

Sources in the district administration said the airport is part of 11 greenfield airports to be developed in the state under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Gujarat government and the AAI to “boost tourism and regional connectivity” to the location. In October 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated a seaplane service connecting Ahmedabad and Ekta Nagar (then Kevadia). However, it was suspended when operator SpiceJet pulled out in April 2021.