Union Civil Aviation Ministry launched no-frills airport in five cities

Union Civil Aviation Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju on 9 September 2014 announced that the Union Government has identified five locations for development of no-frills airports in India. The selected locations where the no-frills airports will be developed are Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh, Kishangarh in Rajasthan, Jharsuguda in Odisha, Hubli and Belgaum in Karnataka.

These no-frills airports (low cost model airports) will be developed to promote regional and remote area connectivity with a focus on promoting tourism and other economic activities.

The plan for creation of the no-frills airports has been made by Airports Authority of India (AAI) but final time for completion of the project was not revealed. But as per the directive of new government led by Narendra Modi, the ministry has been asked to prepare a plan for development of at least five no-frills airports by the end of the fiscal. Further, the plan for creation of these airports would extend to fifty.

As per the information, these airports will be a new kind and will be developed at an initial cost of 50 crore rupees with limited facilities for seating, lounges and air traffic management.

Some more features of these no-frills airports
• These will have airstrips that will be long enough to handle turboprops like Q-400 and ATR
• The terminals will be single storied with simple structures
• These airports will have mobile air traffic control units instead of big ATC towers
• These airports will not have conveyor belts and aerobridges