By NewsGram Staff Writer

Narendra Modi led government has granted "in principle" approval for setting up of 15 Greenfield airports in the country, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma told Rajya Sabha today.

The new airports will come up in Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Hasan and Shimoga in Karnataka, Kannur and Aranmula in Kerala, Durgapur in West Bengal, Dabra in Madhya Pradesh, Pakyong in Sikkim, Karaikal in Puducherry and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.

The government has also laid down Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) with a view to achieve better regulation of air transport services taking into account the need for air transport services of different regions of the country.

"It is, however, up to the airlines to provide air services to specific places depending upon the traffic demand and commercial viability. As such, the airlines are free to operate anywhere in the country subject to compliance of RDG issued by the Government. Presently, airlines are operating to/from 76 airports in the country including major cities," the minister said.

Sharma said that to determine the tariff for aeronautical services provided at major airports in the country, the government has also set up an independent regulatory body namely, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority.