India

Jammu and Kashmir Airport Overhaul and Expansion Plan

Wednesday, May 13, 2026
5 min read
Jammu and Kashmir Airport Overhaul and Expansion Plan

Jammu and Kashmir is really starting to catch on as a tourism spot. And now the Modi government is pushing for a massive overhaul of the Srinagar airport. We're talking nearly a thousand crore rupees for this thing.

The plan isn't just cosmetic. They want a whole new passenger terminal. Something nearly three times the size of what you have now. Plus, they’re extending the apron. That means they’re aiming for fifteen parking bays for planes. That’s a big jump.

This whole plan, apparently, is based on some paperwork from the Airports Authority of India. CNN-News18 dug into a document and found the numbers. The existing terminal building at Srinagar is spread out over 20,659 square meters.

But the vision for the new structure is huge. They’re talking about 51,500 square meters for the new terminal itself. And there’s a twenty thousand square meter basement tacked on. It’s expanding the whole footprint.

The airport itself, you know, it belongs to the Indian Air Force. The AAI manages the whole civil enclave—the terminal, the apron, all that supporting infrastructure. Right now, that land area is about 73 acres.

The document itself was pretty blunt about why this was necessary. It basically said they needed modification and expansion. They needed a multi-level car park and all the supporting works because the traffic demand is just growing.

Think about the old terminal. It handles about 950 passengers during peak hours. Now, the new setup is supposed to handle 2,900 passengers during peak time. That’s almost triple the capacity. It makes sense, given how much air traffic is moving through there.

And the expansion isn't just about people. They want space for retail, for commercial outlets, and airline offices. They’re even trying to weave in local culture. The new building is supposed to feature local artisans. And there’s a big environmental angle too. It’s supposed to be carbon-neutral, GRIHA 5-compliant, with a Green energy plan planned for the roof. Six-lane elevated roads for arrivals and departures are also being built.

Then there’s the parking nightmare. They’re adding a multi-level car park, space for at least a thousand cars, spread across thirty-five thousand square meters. That’s just another layer of complexity added to the site.

It’s all tied into the bigger picture, too. Jammu and Kashmir is seeing a real tourism boom. In 2025 alone, they recorded about 1.77 crore tourist arrivals, including a good chunk of foreign visitors.

So, you have this massive infrastructure push happening right alongside the growing demand from travelers. It’s a lot to process. A lot of construction. A lot of ambition.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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