India is expected to have 34 mega-airports by 2047, as under the ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ mission, and the government of India’s aim is to increase the number of airports, including revamped airstrips, to 350-400. The authorities have identified 110 airstrips, which are suitable for development, while an additional 200 airstrips are undergoing suitability assessment.
Amongst the most prominent upgradations of smaller air fields include the proposed development of Gujarat’s Keshod Airport – a domestic airport that is spread across 450 acres and serves the business community residing in and around the cities of Junagadh and Veraval Port now. This small airport, built in the early 1930s and refurbished and revived in the late 1980s for scheduled operations, is located in the vicinity of world-famous tourist spots like Gir forest, Somnath temple, Madhavpur beach and Dwarka temple. Over 300,000 domestic and international tourists visit these iconic and religious locales every year.
Post 1975, the infrastructure of Keshod airport has not been upgraded. Now, only the government’s commercial airline, Alliance Air, operates out of Keshod airport, through small-sized ATR aircraft under the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.
The ongoing upgrade of Keshod airport is mainly a result of relentless endeavours for the past many years by Parimal Nathwani, a vocal Gujarati politician, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and director, corporate affairs, Reliance Industries Limited. He has been consistently writing letters to the ministry for civil aviation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while also raising questions related to Keshod Airport’s infrastructure umpteen times in the Rajya Sabha. Nathwani’s latest query, raised in Parliament on 1 December 2025, sought a specific response from the government on whether any new domestic or international flight routes are proposed to be introduced from Keshod airport after the completion of its expansion.
Murlidhar Malol, minister of state for civil aviation, replied that, with the repeal of the Air Corporation Act in March 1994, Indian domestic aviation has been fully deregulated. Airlines independently decide aircraft type, routes and operations based on commercial and operational viability, subject to the Routes Dispersal Guidelines.
Major expansion
Keshod Airport is thus undergoing a major expansion project worth about Rs400 crore, with a new terminal building spanning 6,500 sq m that can handle up to 850 passengers at a time. The Airports Authority of India has acquired 205 acres of land adjacent to the existing facility for the new terminal building. The project also includes extending the runway from 1,371 m to 2,500 m, which will enable operations of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The current runway size of Keshod airport is only suitable for ATR 72 aircraft and the smaller aeroplanes and helicopters. In addition, a new Air Traffic Control tower, technical block and other supporting infrastructure will enable round-the-clock flight operations.
Following the runway extension, the master plan includes the installation of an Instrument Landing System, CAT-I Approach Lighting System and DVOR to mitigate weather-related cancellations. The ongoing expansion is expected to be completed by mid-2027. Also, the Airports Authority of India is planning to develop a dedicated cargo facility at Keshod Airport to facilitate exports of Gujarat’s Saurashtra region’s famed Kesar mango. It will boost Gujarat’s Kesar mango export volumes, estimated at 900 tonnes annually.
The upgrade of Keshod airport is also expected to facilitate speedy and seamless travel of seafood exporters based in Veraval and Porbandar to various domestic and international destinations. Seafood processing units based in both these cities generate revenue of about Rs4,000 crore every year and are visited by innumerable domestic as well as international travellers for business purposes.
The Keshod air strip also bears a historic significance. The ‘Nawab’ of erstwhile Junagadh state, Nawab Mahabat Khan III fled to Karachi, Pakistan, on his private aircraft from the Keshod air strip on 24 October 1947, taking with him his family, jewels, valuable records and even his beloved dog.