Puri, July 31: Shree Jagannath International Airport, proposed in Odisha’s Puri has bagged green signal for a Greenfield Aviation hub.
According to report, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has confirmed that the Centre on May 6, 2025 granted in-principle approval for the Shree Jagannath International Airport, Puri as a greenfield airport.Earlier the Expert Appraisal Committee’s recommendation for environmental clearance was accorded on June 5, 2025.
The Shree Jagannath International Airport proposed to be constructed over 1,164 acres of land, will complete its Phase‑1 constrution soon.
With its completion, it is expected to handle approximately 4.6 million passengers annually, positioning the airport as a major aviation hub in eastern India.
Site clearance was previously granted in September 2023 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation whereas the Defence Ministry meanwhile granted no-objection certificate to go ahead with the potential airport.
As the state’s subject, the Commerce & Transport Department has complied with all essential norms of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The Regional Empowered Committee at Bhubaneswar has also recommended the Stage-I Forest Clearance, in line with precautionary environmental requirements.
The MoEF&CC’s advisory panel on June 24, 2025 requested additional ecological safeguards, including comprehensive wildlife conservation and mitigation plan, developed with input from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to protect Olive Ridley turtles, Irrawaddy dolphins, and migratory birds inhabiting the coastal zone.
With the EAC’s endorsement of environmental clearance granted on June 26, 2025, the airport project now prepares to enter its next phase, with the Odisha government expected to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) shortly and initiate construction planning based on the DPR.
