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Nagpur, June 25, 2026: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday asked the GMR Group to complete the second phase of the modernisation of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport by 2029, asserting that Nagpur’s ambitious aviation expansion should not be pushed beyond the tenure of the current Maharashtra govt.Speaking at the formal handover ceremony of the airport project to GMR under the public-private partnership model, Fadnavis said the long-pending expansion faced years of legal, administrative and policy hurdles before finally taking shape.“We want the second phase of this airport modernisation programme to be completed before 2029 and not in 2030,” Fadnavis said. “There is no doubt that our govt will return to power in 2029, but we do not want to wait for the next term. We want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the project within this tenure itself.”Fadnavis described the airport as a future “engine of economic growth” for Nagpur and Vidarbha, saying the project was conceived not merely as a passenger facility but as a large-scale cargo, logistics and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub for central India.Recalling the project’s early planning stages, Fadnavis said consultants initially opposed the idea of a second runway. “I categorically insisted on a second runway because without it the cargo hub vision would not succeed,” he said, adding that major aviation and defence investments in Nagpur were linked to that long-term infrastructure promise.
The chief minister said the project suffered repeated delays due to litigation in the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court, including review and curative petitions. He said multiple “legacy issues” and clearance-related documentation requirements slowed the process despite sustained follow-up by the state govt, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and aviation authorities.Fadnavis thanked Prime Minister Modi, Union Civil Aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Gadkari, AAI, Maharashtra Airport Development Company officials and city-based industry associations for helping clear obstacles that stalled the project for years.He also urged GMR to ensure that the refurbished terminal matches the designs presented during the ceremony. “A person returning to Nagpur after one year should wonder whether this is the same airport,” he said.Highlighting Nagpur’s strategic advantages, Fadnavis said the city already has metro rail connectivity to the airport and improved road infrastructure is being developed through new flyovers and approach roads.
He added that the expanded airport ecosystem would support cargo operations, aviation-linked industries and MRO services catering to aircraft from Southeast Asia and West Asia.The airport redevelopment project includes refurbishment of the existing terminal and plans for a second runway as part of a larger master plan aimed at transforming Nagpur into a major aviation and logistics hub in central India.# Key TakeawaysFadnavis asked GMR to complete Nagpur airport’s first modernisation phase before 2029Chief minister said the project should be inaugurated during the current govt’s tenureAirport expansion faced years of litigation in courts and administrative hurdlesFadnavis said the second runway was crucial for Nagpur’s cargo hub visionNagpur airport is being developed under a PPP model with GMR GroupProject includes terminal refurbishment, improved connectivity and future MRO facilitiesMetro rail and road infrastructure are being integrated with airport expansionState govt sees airport as a major economic growth engine for VidarbhaPM Modi and Union ministers were credited for clearing pending approvals
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