Gujarat’s Deesa Airport yet to begin operations despite ₹1.31 crore expenditure

More than ₹1.31 crore has already been spent, yet Deesa Airport continues to remain in limbo, with the Central Government admitting in Parliament that the airport remains inoperational till date.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, several challenges continue to hinder the development of Deesa Airport, including land acquisition issues, a lack of passenger traffic, inadequate infrastructure and other logistical constraints. The government has also admitted that the airport is currently lying unused.

Deesa Airport was originally constructed for the former Palanpur princely state and is presently maintained by the Airports Authority of India. However, it has not been operational for commercial use for several years.

 The ministry informed Parliament that ₹39 lakh was spent on the airport during the 2024–25 financial year, while a further ₹92 lakh was spent in 2025, taking the total expenditure to ₹1.31 crore.

It has also emerged that the runway is in poor condition and is presently suitable only for activities such as paragliding.

In its statement, the Centre noted that Deesa Airport is among several airports across the country that remain non-operational due to similar constraints.

Notably, the Ministry of Defence has taken a decision in principle to develop Deesa Airport as a military air base. However, no tangible progress has been made so far.