Overview
- India’s Union Cabinet, which met Wednesday, approved extending AAI’s land lease beyond August 6, 2039 so MIHAN India Ltd can license Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport to GMR Nagpur International Airport Ltd for 30 years.
- The extension makes the land lease co-terminus with GMR’s 30-year concession from the commercial operation date, clearing the handover and long-term redevelopment of the site.
- GMR plans phased upgrades that target capacity for up to 30 million passengers a year with expanded cargo infrastructure to improve links across Vidarbha and central India.
- The decision advances the MIHAN programme, a plan to build a multimodal passenger-and-cargo hub in Nagpur through a public-private partnership anchored by AAI, Maharashtra’s development agency and GMR.
- After MIL’s 2016 global tender and a 2020 annulment, courts ruled for GMR, leading to a concession signed on October 8, 2024, with construction timelines and financing details yet to be announced.