States » EastPosted at: Oct 1 2026 3:23PM


Three Sikkim sites under AAI scanner for Greenfield airports

Gangtok, Oct 1 (UNI) The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun pre-feasibility studies at three proposed sites at Ranka, Martam and Sadam in Sikkim for possible development of Greenfield airports, following a proposal from the state government.
The Tourism and Civil Aviation Department said on Wednesday that a multi-disciplinary technical team of the AAI is assessing the suitability of the three locations from aviation, operational, engineering and other technical perspectives.
“The exercise is an important initial step towards assessing the feasibility of strengthening air connectivity in Sikkim,” Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Tshering T. Bhutia said.
The study is being undertaken under the Greenfield Airports Policy, 2008, along with provisions applicable to the North-Eastern States. The state government has been coordinating with the union Ministry of Civil Aviation and the AAI to take the proposal forward.
The assessment will cover site suitability, aviation requirements, operational considerations, connectivity, engineering parameters and other factors required for a preliminary technical evaluation.
The AAI team comprises Roshan Dasu Kamble, General Manager (Aero-Planning); Sunil Prasad, General Manager (Engineering-Civil), Gaurav Yadav, Deputy General Manager (Architecture), Amit Srivastava, Assistant General Manager (CNS); Sachidanand Pandey, Senior Manager (ATM-CFD); and Prashant Gupta, Senior Manager (Operations), CHQ.
A team from the state Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, led by Secretary Neeraj Pradhan, is accompanying the AAI team during the site-level assessment.
The proposed airports are intended to strengthen air connectivity and improve regional accessibility within Sikkim. The initiative is being pursued under the guidance of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, with the support of Bhutia and union DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The Government of Sikkim will continue to coordinate closely with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and other concerned authorities for taking the proposal forward in accordance with the applicable framework. UNI MBN NST AAB
Tags: #Three Sikkim sites under AAI scanner for Greenfield airports
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