Meghalaya High Court advances deadline for Shillong Airport expansion land handover

Acceleration of the long-delayed Shillong airport expansion has been ordered by the Meghalaya High Court, which instructed the state government to hand over the required land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) by January 10, 2026, bringing forward an earlier schedule.

The bench revised the timeline after reviewing action taken reports from the state and AAI, noting that the existing deadlines — January 20 for delivery of unencumbered land and January 31 for transfer of possession — risked prolonging a project pending for years.

According to the directive, the Ri-Bhoi deputy commissioner and the state transport department must complete the direct purchase of 11.75 acres of private land and transfer it to AAI by the new date. For the proposed exchange of 10.30 acres of defence land, the court recorded that suitable land had been identified in coordination with defence authorities. The cabinet has already cleared direct purchase of 7.725 acres, and the transport department has been told to release funds to the DC within two weeks.

The bench also ordered authorities to clear obstacles around the airport within four months to ensure compliance with aviation safety norms.

AAI informed the court that it is seeking concept and design approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for the runway extension and related works. The regulator has been asked to respond swiftly to avoid procedural delays.

On contracting, AAI reported that its initial tender for Phase-I airside works issued in March 2025 was cancelled after the lowest bidder was found to have submitted forged documents. A re-tender floated on September 9, 2025 is now under technical evaluation, which is expected to conclude by December 31, after which financial bids will be opened.

The court also noted that the public hearing for environmental clearance was conducted at Umroi Airport on October 7, and the report has been sent to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority. AAI is awaiting an update on the clearance status.

To address valuation concerns related to land meant for exchange with defence authorities, the bench instructed the Ri-Bhoi deputy commissioner, the joint secretary of the transport department and the Umroi station commander to hold a joint meeting and submit their findings at the next hearing.

The matter will come up again on February 10, 2026.