Status at a glance (14 July 2026 official review): roughly 80 percent complete, with the passenger terminal around three-quarters done. The airfield civil works were completed in December 2025, the first calibration aircraft landed on 4 June 2026, and the operations target announced at the July review is October 2026. An announced target is a plan, not a certification — the status vocabulary on this site keeps that distinction explicit.
Where it is and what it is
The airport is being built at Navagam village, roughly 20 km from the SIR core and about 80 km southwest of Ahmedabad. The site covers around 1,426 hectares, acquired for the purpose. The facility is designed as a Code 4E airport, which in plain terms means a runway and airfield capable of handling wide-body aircraft — the class of machine that matters for cargo capacity and long-haul connectivity alike.
Who owns and builds it
Ownership is a three-way public structure through Dholera International Airport Company Ltd (DIACL): the Airports Authority of India holds the majority stake, the Government of Gujarat holds the second-largest share, and NICDIT — the national industrial corridor institution — holds the remainder. That structure matters because it makes the airport a public commitment rather than a private bet: the country’s airport operator has skin in the game.
What is being built
The design divides construction into two parts.
Part A — the airfield civil works: the runway, parallel taxiways, rapid-exit taxiways, aprons, perimeter roads and airside drainage. This part was completed in December 2025.
Part B — the vertical infrastructure: a passenger terminal planned at roughly 20,000 sq m over three levels, a nine-storey air traffic control tower, a cargo complex with temperature-controlled storage and customs facilities, a technical block and an electrical substation.
The timeline so far
Each dated milestone below links to its intelligence entry with the source and confidence level.
- January 2024 — the Airports Authority of India awarded the approximately ₹333-crore passenger terminal building contract (reported 5 January 2024). The airport moved into visible construction. (intelligence entry)
- October 2024 — the Union Cabinet approved the development of the greenfield airport at Dholera: the highest approval rung, closing the approval loop. (intelligence entry)
- December 2025 — the airfield civil works (Part A) were completed.
- 4 June 2026 — the AAI carried out the first successful test flight: a calibration aircraft, registration VT-CNS, touched down on the newly constructed runway at Navagam — the first aircraft landing since construction began. (intelligence entry)
- 14 July 2026 — Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu reviewed progress at the site: roughly 80 percent complete, terminal around three-quarters done, October 2026 operations target. (intelligence entry)
- August 2026 — PIB cleared Ahmedabad Metro Phase 3, with the Dholera airport link moving closer as part of the regional transit picture. (intelligence entry)
What the airport does for the region
Dholera sits on a coastal plain that has no deep port, no mainline railway and, until now, no airport of its own. The airport is meant to do three jobs: give passengers an air link for the SIR and the wider region, give industries an air-cargo channel with customs and temperature-controlled storage on site, and act as a catalyst for airport-linked industrial development — the pattern every successful Indian airport city has followed.
What an investor should read into this
The path from a calibration flight to commercial operations runs through certification, and that is the step to watch. Calibration flights validate that navigation aids, approach procedures, runway surfaces, lighting and signalling systems behave as designed — the technical groundwork an airport needs before certification. The October 2026 target is an official target, and this page tracks it with the same discipline as every other claim on the site: announced stays announced until something is certified, open and verifiable.
Questions people ask
Where is Dholera International Airport located?
At Navagam village, roughly 20 km from the Dholera SIR core and about 80 km southwest of Ahmedabad, on a site of approximately 1,426 hectares.
When will Dholera International Airport open?
The official operations target is October 2026, announced at the 14 July 2026 ministerial review when the project stood at roughly 80 percent completion. Announced targets are not the same as certified operations.
How complete is the airport?
Roughly 80 percent at the 14 July 2026 review, with the passenger terminal around three-quarters done. The airfield civil works were completed in December 2025.
What aircraft can it handle?
It is designed as a Code 4E facility — a runway and airfield capable of handling wide-body aircraft.
Who owns the airport?
Dholera International Airport Company Ltd (DIACL): the Airports Authority of India holds the majority stake, the Government of Gujarat the second-largest share, and NICDIT the remainder.
When did the first aircraft land?
On 4 June 2026, an AAI calibration aircraft (registration VT-CNS) touched down on the newly constructed runway at Navagam — the first aircraft landing since construction began.