TV
The question of a second full-fledged international airport in Odisha has heated up after the high-profile Shree Jagannath International Airport project at Puri was recently nearly halted for regulatory scrutiny.
In the past week, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to the Centre and the Odisha government over alleged environmental breaches in the Puri project, a move that places any near-term timeline for a second international gateway in doubt even as the state presses an ambitious aviation expansion agenda.
NGT Notice Stalls Puri’s Flagship Bid
The NGT’s order, which seeks responses from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Odisha departments and local forest officials, was triggered by a public petition alleging that work underway at Sipasarubali Mouza proceeded without mandatory clearances.
The tribunal has asked the parties to respond within four weeks and listed the matter for an October 10 hearing. For the project’s backers, the NGT action converts a policy promise into a legal and procedural problem that must be cleared before construction can resume at scale.
State’s Ambition Rises High
The Puri setback comes against a broader state strategy to grow aviation capacity quickly. Odisha’s leaders announced plans to convert 14 unused airstrips into airports and to establish 15 heliports, plus a new land-allotment policy aimed at attracting private investment, training academies and aero-sports.
However, these measures indicate political will and a policy framework, but political will alone cannot substitute for ecological clearances or technical feasibility.
Feasibility Assessment
Technically and economically, Odisha has both assets and limits. Biju Patnaik International Airport handles growing passenger loads and is slated for expansion (Terminal-3 planning is underway), which argues for capacity enhancement at the existing international hub as a priority.
Converting multiple airstrips into regional airports can improve intra-state connectivity quickly, but converting one of those into a full international airport requires far larger land, environmental approvals, customs and immigration infrastructure, international safety standards and sustainable demand forecasts.
The WII/FAC process for Puri illustrates how environmental compliance, not merely land availability, will determine whether a greenfield site can become a second international gateway.
Bottom Line: Timing And Trade-Offs
For now, Bhubaneswar remains the state’s only operational international airport. The Jagannath airport at Puri, intended by officials as the second, is the decisive test case. If it clears scientific scrutiny, forestry approvals and the NGT challenge, it could pave the way for a second international hub.
If it fails on ecological or legal grounds, Odisha’s planners will either need to find an alternative site that meets environmental tests or pivot to a mixed strategy.
