Strategies for Augmenting Socio-Economic Infrastructure around Greenfield Airport—A Case of Dholera International Airport

The current modern age is one for transit-oriented development where airports have become an engine for economic growth and urban development. The Indian aviation sector is growing rapidly and is on the verge of transformation, and recently, has seen a rapid growth, attracting new customers with lower rates and better comfort level. Furthermore, with the ever-increasing numbers of airways commuters, there is a need to provide them with suitable infrastructure, i.e. airports and related services. Consequently, the last few decades have seen the commencement of many new airports and many others being proposed. Therefore, making it vital to also inspect the social, environmental, and economic impact it has in the vicinity. The research mainly aimed to develop strategies for augmenting socio-economic infrastructure around Greenfield Airport, in this case for "Dholera International Airport" near Ahmedabad. The infrastructure gap was identified by conducting a current situation analysis. Primitive infrastructure gap was identified by assessing the quality of life. From the list of identified facility gap, some facilities were chosen and their needs, benefits, and outcomes were analyzed. The location of the facility was done using Weber location problem which was solved further using ArcGIS software. The outcome of the research is in the form of location for different infrastructure facilities around the proposed airport. These results eventually helped in proposing strategies to augment the socio-economic infrastructure around the airport and increase the quality of life of the residents.