Dholera is unlike every other city in this guide, for one simple reason. The city and its airport are being built at the same time. Dholera International Airport, a greenfield project near Navagam village in the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR), is under active construction, with its first phase targeted for completion around late 2025 to 2026. That means anyone planning a project in the DSIR right now is building alongside an airport whose regulated zone is still taking final shape.
This page covers what an Airport NOC survey Dholera project needs to account for. That includes the airport’s scale, the industrial investment driving demand for construction in the region, and how to confirm your current zoning status in an area where the airport itself hasn’t opened yet.
Why Dholera’s Airport Changes the Usual Height Clearance Picture
Dholera International Airport sits on roughly 1,426 hectares at Navagam, about 20 km from the DSIR core and roughly 80 to 100 km from Ahmedabad. The project is designed with two runways, reportedly up to 4,000 metres in length, capable of handling large wide-body aircraft. It’s being developed jointly by the Airports Authority of India, the Gujarat government, and the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust, through a special purpose vehicle called Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL).
One detail worth clarifying, since it causes confusion. Reports mention that the Ministry of Defence issued a No Objection Certificate for the construction of the airport itself, on that specific parcel of land. This is a separate matter from the height clearance NOC that developers and builders will need for structures around the airport once it becomes operational. Don’t mistake one for the other; they serve entirely different purposes.
Why the Semiconductor Fab Is Raising the Stakes
The urgency behind this airport isn’t just passenger traffic. Tata Electronics and Taiwan’s PSMC are establishing a multi-billion dollar semiconductor fabrication plant directly within the DSIR. A project of that scale drives demand for high-value air cargo capacity, and it’s also pulling in a wave of industrial, warehousing, and supporting infrastructure construction across the region.
This matters directly for height clearance. Industrial facilities, warehouses, and cargo-linked structures are exactly the kind of projects that tend to test the upper end of permissible height, and they’re being built in large numbers right as the airport’s own zoning framework comes into force.
How AAI Will Calculate Permitted Height Around Dholera
Once formally established, AAI’s height math around Dholera will follow the same national formula applied at every other airport in the country. Permitted height of the structure equals the CCZM’s permitted top elevation, minus your site’s verified ground elevation, both measured in metres AMSL.
The regulated radius itself depends on how the airport ultimately operates. A Visual Flight Rules airport carries a 20 km radius; an Instrument Flight Rules airport, which is more likely given Dholera’s scale and wide-body capacity, carries a 56 km radius. Given the size of the runways planned here, developers across a wide area of the DSIR should plan on being within the regulated zone rather than assuming they sit safely outside it.
Why Confirming Current Zoning Status Matters More Here
For most Indian cities, the airport has operated for decades, and the CCZM is a known, stable reference point. Dholera is the opposite. Because the airport is still coming online, published zoning data can change as construction milestones are reached and operational parameters get finalised.
This is exactly why a certified site elevation survey and an active check of current NOCAS data matter more in Dholera than in an established city. Assuming today’s zoning picture will still apply by the time your project reaches completion carries real risk here.
Do You Need an AAI NOC for Your Dholera Project?
Under the GSR 751(E) rules that govern height clearance nationwide, any structure within the airport’s regulated radius needs to be checked against the applicable restriction, once that radius and its CCZM are formally established. This requirement holds regardless of the structure’s height or intended use.
Whether a full formal NOCAS application will be required depends on where your surveyed elevation falls relative to the CCZM’s permitted top elevation for your specific grid cell. If you’re pursuing a separate aviation-related clearance, such as for drone survey work common in a large greenfield development like this, remember that an AAI height NOC and DGCA clearance serve different purposes.
How an Airport NOC Survey Works in Dholera
- Zone and status check — Confirm the current published zoning status for Dholera International Airport and your plot’s distance and bearing from its Aerodrome Reference Point, since this data is actively evolving.
- Site elevation and coordinate survey — A site elevation survey captures WGS-84 coordinates and AMSL elevation for your plot using certified GPS equipment, meeting AAI’s accuracy requirements.
- Height verification — We check your proposed structure’s top elevation, including industrial and warehouse-scale additions, against the current permitted top elevation for that grid, once published.
- Documentation — We compile certificates, ownership proof, and structure drawings per AAI’s NOCAS documentation requirements, cross-checked against the current list of documents required for airport height clearance.
- Filing or auto-settlement — Depending on the applicable threshold, we file formally through the NOCAS portal application process or confirm auto-settlement where the case qualifies.
Which Projects in Dholera Need This
Given the pace and scale of development in the DSIR, this requirement applies broadly. It covers:
- Building height clearance for residential, commercial, and institutional construction across the Dholera Smart City’s planned Town Planning schemes
- Industrial facilities, warehousing, and cargo-linked infrastructure supporting the semiconductor fab and wider DSIR industrial base
- Solar and wind or hybrid renewable installations, which are common in large planned industrial regions like Dholera and often involve elevated tracker structures or poles
Why Get Your Dholera Airport NOC Survey Done by Surveying India
Our in-house DGPS and Total Station teams deliver certified GPS coordinates and AMSL elevation to AAI’s exact accuracy requirements across the DSIR, including areas where zoning data is still being finalised as the airport comes online. We track Dholera International Airport’s development closely, so we flag any zoning changes that could affect your project before you commit to a layout.
Because we prepare documentation to AAI’s exact NOCAS format, we cut down the remarks and resubmissions that stall projects, which matters even more in a region growing this quickly. We also help distinguish which NOC applies to your specific project, since the airport’s own construction NOC and a structure’s height clearance NOC are entirely separate matters that get confused often in this market.
Beyond Dholera, we’ve delivered survey work for government bodies, PSUs, and private developers across airport-regulated zones in India for over a decade. Our teams also work in Surat, Guwahati, Raipur, Patna, Indore, Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Varanasi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kota, and Bhopal.
Planning a project anywhere in the Dholera Special Investment Region? Share your plot location, and we’ll confirm the current zoning status for Dholera International Airport, run a proper survey and analysis, and tell you what to expect as the airport’s zoning framework finalises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dholera International Airport operational yet? As of the most recent reporting, it’s under active construction, with Phase 1 targeted for completion around late 2025 to 2026. Its final height clearance zoning framework is still being established as construction progresses.
What’s the difference between the Ministry of Defence NOC and a height clearance NOC in Dholera? The Ministry of Defence NOC reported for this project refers to clearance for constructing the airport itself on that specific land parcel. It’s separate from the height clearance NOC that developers and builders need for structures built around the airport once it becomes operational.
Why is the semiconductor fab relevant to airport NOC requirements in Dholera? The Tata Electronics and PSMC semiconductor fabrication plant is driving significant industrial, warehousing, and cargo infrastructure construction across the DSIR, much of which will need height clearance checks as the airport’s zoning framework comes into effect.
How wide will Dholera’s regulated radius be once the airport is operational? This depends on whether it operates under Visual or Instrument Flight Rules. Given its scale and wide-body aircraft capacity, an Instrument Flight Rules classification, carrying a 56 km radius, is more likely than the standard 20 km VFR radius.
Why does zoning status need more frequent checking in Dholera than in an established city? Because the airport is still under construction, published zoning data can change as construction milestones are reached and operational parameters are finalised, unlike an established airport with a long-standing, stable CCZM.
Is Dholera’s NOC process complicated by any separate defence airbase? No. Once operational, Dholera International Airport is expected to function as a standard civil airport, distinct from the one-time Ministry of Defence clearance issued for building the airport on that land.
Regulatory reference: Height clearance rules once formally established for Dholera International Airport will fall under Gazette Notification GSR 751(E). Zoning data, once published, will be maintained by the Airports Authority of India on the official AAI NOCAS portal. Given the airport’s active construction status, always verify the current zoning framework directly before finalising a project.