The Maharashtra government has approved land acquisition worth ₹104.48 crore for the proposed greenfield airport in Gadchiroli, marking a major step towards developing aviation infrastructure in one of the state’s fastest-emerging industrial and mining regions.
The approval has been granted for acquisition of nearly 311.81 hectares of land spread across four villages — Shirapur Chak, Guruwala, Hirapur, and Rakhi — located around seven kilometres from Gadchiroli city. The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC).
According to officials, the proposed airport will feature a runway of approximately 3,100 metres capable of handling larger narrow-body aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The facility is expected to significantly improve regional air connectivity while supporting industrial expansion, logistics movement, emergency response operations, and investment inflows into eastern Maharashtra.
The proposal for land acquisition and funding approval was placed before the Empowered Committee chaired by the Maharashtra Chief Secretary and received clearance on May 8. Authorities have also approved the transfer of around 31.38 hectares of government land to MADC, along with diversion of nearly 34.68 hectares of forest land required for the project.
District officials stated that the airport project is strategically important due to Gadchiroli’s rapid industrial transformation driven by mining, steel, defence, electronics, and renewable energy investments. The district has witnessed growing interest from companies involved in steel manufacturing, semiconductor production, solar equipment manufacturing, defence systems, and mineral processing industries.
The airport is also expected to improve emergency and security operations in the Naxal-affected region. Officials noted that the Home Department has long pushed for an airport in Gadchiroli to strengthen administrative reach, improve mobility of security personnel, and enable faster medical evacuation during emergency situations. At present, limitations on night helicopter movement often delay emergency transfers to advanced medical facilities in Nagpur.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has repeatedly highlighted Gadchiroli’s emergence as a major industrial growth centre in Vidarbha. Earlier this year, he stated that the airport would support the district’s transformation into a major hub for steel, defence, aerospace, mining, and electronics manufacturing.
The airport project forms part of a broader infrastructure push underway in Gadchiroli and surrounding regions. Multiple highway and expressway projects including the Nagpur–Gondia Expressway, Bhandara–Gadchiroli corridor, and Nagpur–Chandrapur connectivity upgrades are currently being developed to improve industrial logistics and regional accessibility.
Industry observers believe the Gadchiroli airport could become a critical infrastructure catalyst for eastern Maharashtra by strengthening multimodal connectivity, attracting new industrial investments, improving cargo movement, and integrating the district more closely with national economic corridors and urban markets.
