The Civil Aviation Ministry is exploring measures to simplify and speed up the approval process for buildings proposed near airports, including the possibility of enabling urban local bodies to issue no-objection certificates (NOCs) in eligible cases.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu held a meeting with senior officials of the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday to discuss reforms aimed at improving the ease of obtaining approvals for construction projects while continuing to address aviation safety requirements.
A key proposal discussed at the meeting was providing applicants with information on permissible or identified building heights at the initial stage of project planning. The measure is being examined particularly for major metropolitan cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
Providing height-related information at an early stage could help developers, societies, individual property owners and other stakeholders plan projects in accordance with applicable aviation safety restrictions. It could also reduce the need for changes to development proposals at later stages.
The discussions focused on making the NOC process hassle-free, transparent, automated and time-bound, with reduced manual intervention. The proposed changes are intended to benefit members of the public, housing societies, builders and other industry participants.
The ministry also reviewed the geographical coverage of the No Objection Certificate Application System (NOCAS), which is used for processing applications related to structures in the vicinity of airports. The system currently covers areas within 20 kilometres for airports operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and within 56 kilometres for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations.
One of the proposals under consideration is issuing NOCs at the Urban Local Body (ULB) level wherever feasible. Under such an arrangement, applicants may not have to approach the AAI directly for every approval, potentially reducing procedural requirements and improving the approval timeline.
The meeting also discussed simplifying requirements related to aeronautical studies. Potential changes include reducing the need for physical site verification at the initial stage and rationalising the submission of building development plans and other documents.
The Civil Aviation Minister has directed the officials concerned to examine the modalities for simplifying, automating and decentralising the NOC process. The ministry has been asked to take necessary action for implementation within a timeline of 15 days.
The issue is becoming increasingly relevant as real estate development expands around major urban centres and airports. Height restrictions apply to buildings located in airport zones to ensure that proposed structures do not affect aircraft operations or aviation safety.
In February, Naidu had said that a study was being conducted with the assistance of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to examine solutions related to building-height restrictions around airports.
If implemented, the proposed reforms could provide greater clarity to real estate developers and property owners before they finalise project designs. Early access to information on permissible building heights, combined with a more automated and decentralised NOC process, could help reduce uncertainty associated with projects located near airports.
The ministry’s proposed changes aim to balance the requirements of urban development with aviation safety, while reducing delays and making the approval process more transparent for the real estate and construction sectors.
