Summary:
Surat: Surat: It’s official now. The Surat airport will be operated to cater to domestic travel and limited international operations, till the new airport is ready and operational in Navsari. Navsari district is all set to house the new state-of-the-art international airport in the next couple of years.The state government and Airports Authority of India (AAI) have started scouting for land for the new airport in Navsari district. Ubhrat in Jalalpore district falls within the 40km radius and the land confirming the development of the airport is already available with the state government.The proposed site is about 35 kilometers away from Surat, but the distance could be reduced to about 15-20 km by constructing a bridge over Mindhola river. This has been revealed in information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.In the minutes of the meeting — a copy is of which is with TOI — held under the chairmanship of chief secretary J N Singh and AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra it was decided that the government will identify three to four sites within a radius of 40 km from the Surat airport to develop the new facility.Once the sites are finalized, the state government will place them before AAI for selection of the final location.The government is looking for about 2,000 acres of land within 40 km radius of the Surat airport..