The Civil Aviation Ministry is considering steps to ease and fasten approvals of built structures and other infrastructure works near airports, an initiative that will help in making the process more deterministic for developers. The proposed changes include disclosing permissible heights of buildings at the very first stage and cutting down human efforts as much as possible so that urban local bodies can grant No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) wherever possible.
The proposed changes seek to make the regulatory environment investor friendly without compromising on safety.For the real estate sector, the changes could reduce uncertainty around one of the key regulatory requirements affecting projects located within airport influence zones.
Government weighs decentralised, automated NOC process
Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu held a meeting with senior officials of the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to review the NOC process for construction near airports.
The ministry is considering whether NOCs can be issued at the ULB level in areas where this is feasible, reducing the need for applicants to approach AAI directly. Officials have also been asked to examine ways to make the process more transparent, automated and time-bound, with minimal manual intervention.
The government has directed officials to work out the modalities for simplifying, automating and decentralising the system and take necessary action within 15 days.
Developers could get building height clarity earlier
One of the key proposals is to provide applicants with the permissible or identified building height at the initial stage itself, particularly in major metropolitan markets such as Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
For developers, knowing the applicable height restriction before finalising a project design can help determine the feasibility of a development at an earlier stage. Building height can influence the design, number of floors and overall planning of a project, particularly in dense urban markets.
The ministry is also examining the process for aeronautical studies, including the possibility of reducing physical site verification at the initial stage and rationalising the requirement for building development plans and other documentation.
Why airport-related height clearances matter to real estate
Buildings around airports are subject to height restrictions to safeguard flight operations. The AAI's No Objection Certificate Application System (NOCAS) is the online system used for height clearance of buildings and structures around civil airports.
The current system covers areas within 20 km for airports operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and 56 km for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), according to the Civil Aviation Ministry. This means the approval framework can affect a significant area around airports, particularly in large urban markets where construction activity is expanding along airport corridors.
AAI's existing system also uses Colour Coded Zoning Maps (CCZMs) in certain cities. These maps indicate the permissible top elevation for specific areas and can allow local bodies to clear proposals below the specified elevation without referring them to AAI.
Faster approvals could improve project planning
If implemented, the proposed changes could have a direct impact on how developers plan projects near airports. Earlier access to height information would allow project teams to factor regulatory restrictions into design and feasibility assessments instead of addressing them later in the approval process.
A more decentralised system could also reduce administrative steps where local bodies are authorised to issue clearances. For developers, this could mean greater predictability in project timelines and fewer delays associated with repeated submissions or manual processing.
The impact, however, will depend on how responsibilities are divided between ULBs, AAI and other authorities, and whether the proposed system delivers faster clearances in practice.
Aviation safety remains the key consideration
The proposed changes are not aimed at removing airport-related height restrictions. The ministry has made it clear that any effort to simplify the approval process must continue to address aviation safety requirements.
This distinction is important for real estate developers. Faster approvals would improve the process, but permissible building heights will continue to be determined by aviation-related considerations. AAI's existing guidelines also state that construction requiring an NOC cannot begin before the required clearance is issued, subject to provisions applicable in areas covered by CCZMs.
What the proposed reforms could mean for airport-led development
Airports are becoming more and more centres of development. From residential to commercial to hotel to infrastructure projects, many developments are taking place around airports. As these areas become urbanised, a more predictable regulatory framework will become increasingly important for developers and authorities. For now, the Civil Aviation Ministry's proposal is at the examining stage. The focus is on making height-related approvals more transparent, removing procedural hurdles and deciding which NOCs can be decentralised. If the proposed framework is implemented effectively, it could remove some uncertainty from development planning around airports without changing the underlying aviation safety requirements.
Sources
ET Realty
PIB Official Release
Financial express
