Gandhinagar: North Gujarat will get its first civilian airport after the govt of India granted approval to convert the Deesa Air Force Station in Banaskantha district into a civilian–military airport. According to senior officials in the state govt, an in-principle decision has been taken to allocate 100 acres of land around the air force station for setting up the new airport.“The Deesa Air Force Station will be converted into a civilian–military airport. The total area of the complex will be spread over 4,500 acres. In addition, the state govt has in-principle decided to allocate 100 acres of strategically located land for the project,” sources said.
This will be the first civilian airport in the North Gujarat region, fulfilling a long-standing demand. Currently, residents of North Gujarat districts have to depend on Ahmedabad airport for air travel. Minister of state for forest and environment Pravin Mali had actively campaigned for a civilian airport at Deesa. Mali is a first-time MLA from the Deesa assembly constituency.Govt sources said the terminal building of the new airport will be constructed over an area of about 100 acres. “The existing runway is 3.3 kilometres long, making it the longest among all airports in Gujarat. The govt will also make a special budgetary provision for the proposed airport in the upcoming state budget,” sources added.The proposed airport is strategically located, just 18km from Deesa city. The Jamnagar–Amritsar highway, part of the Bharatmala project, is located about 35km from the Air Force station, while the Ahmedabad–Tharad highway is also around 35km away.“In addition, the temple town of Ambaji is located about 110km from the proposed airport, while the Seema Darshan site at Nadabet along the India–Pakistan border is around 100km away. The proposed day-and-night zoo and safari at Deesa will also be within 225km of the airport,” sources said, adding that it will benefit residents of neighbouring districts in Rajasthan as well.
