MIHAN Floats Tender to Monetise 271 Hectares Near Nagpur Airport

Nagpur's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport is set for commercial expansion after Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) initiated a plan to monetise 271 hectares of city-side land surrounding the facility.

MIHAN India Ltd (MIL) has floated a tender inviting empanelled consultancy firms to carry out a feasibility study and prepare an indicative master plan for the monetisation process. The land package comprises 122 hectares governed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) lease regulations and 149 hectares under Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) regulations.

The 271-hectare land parcel is separate from the approximately 900 hectares designated for core airport operations, as well as the roughly 100 hectares provided to GMR Nagpur International Airport Limited (GNIAL) for commercial airport development.

Under the tender's scope of work, the selected consultant will conduct site appreciation, market demand assessments, and traffic-access evaluations. The firm will also formulate land disposal policies covering commercial, industrial, residential, and aviation-linked developments in the vicinity of the airport.

The monetisation push follows the Union Cabinet's approval to modernise the airport, including an extension of the AAI land lease to MIL. The lease was aligned with the 30-year concession period granted to GNIAL, which is tasked with developing the airport to handle up to 30 million passengers annually from its commercial operation date.

Efforts to overhaul the airport trace back to 2009, when MIL was formed as a joint venture with MADC holding a 51% stake and AAI holding 49%. Although GMR Airports Ltd. won the development bid in 2016, MIL annulled the process in March 2020 over a revenue share dispute. GMR successfully contested the cancellation in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court, ultimately leading MIL to sign the formal concession agreement with GNIAL in October 2024.