DAMAN — In a historic milestone for regional aviation, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, along with the Administrator of the Union Territory, Shri Praful Patel, flagged off the inaugural flight connecting the newly operational NAMO Airport in Daman directly to the national capital, Delhi.
Operated by state-owned regional carrier Alliance Air, the new route marks the first-ever direct air link for the coastal Union Territory. The development effectively cuts travel time to Delhi from an arduous 8-to-10 hour multi-modal journey via Surat or Mumbai down to a brisk 2.5 hours.
Dual-Purpose Infrastructure and Capacity Matrix
Constructed at a total cost of ₹124 crore on a 25-acre site, the project received a ₹88 crore development reimbursement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation:
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Strategic Layout: The NAMO Airport is a dual-purpose infrastructure facility operating seamlessly out of the existing Indian Coast Guard Air Station (ICGAS) in Daman.
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Terminal Capacity: The newly minted civil terminal spans 3,700 square metres and is engineered to handle up to 14 ATR flights per day, supporting a peak capacity of 3.67 lakh passengers annually.
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Expansion Blueprint: The Civil Aviation Ministry has outlined immediate plans to extend the current runway to accommodate larger commercial aircraft, such as the Airbus A320. This expansion will enable direct connectivity to major urban and industrial hubs, including Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, and Patna.
Macroeconomic Impact: Industrial Integration and Blue Economy
The introduction of scheduled commercial aviation is projected to act as a significant economic multiplier across the region’s manufacturing and coastal trade networks:
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Industrial Alignment: The terminal sits adjacent to a dense manufacturing corridor housing over 7,000 active industries across Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, alongside an additional 15,000-plus factories in neighboring Vapi and Valsad (Gujarat). The direct air connectivity is slated to accelerate corporate logistics, attract fresh capital investment, and streamline operations for the region’s massive pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors.
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The Blue Economy: The flight network bridges Daman’s extensive fisheries, aquaculture, and marine food processing sectors directly with primary inland markets, allowing perishable high-value marine goods to reach any domestic destination within hours.
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Tourism Surge: Daman currently welcomes nearly 20 lakh tourists annually. Putting the UT on India’s commercial aviation map is expected to exponentially scale this footfall. The ministry cited the benchmark of nearby Diu Airport, where annual passenger traffic surged from 19,000 in 2013 to over 1 lakh today, prompting secondary plans for a new terminal and expanded runway at Diu as well.
National Policy Framework: The project has been executed under the Central Government’s flagship regional connectivity program. To sustain this momentum, the government has approved the Modified UDAN Scheme for an additional 10 years with an unprecedented budget layout of ₹29,000 crore, aiming to build 100 new airports and 200 new helipads across the country.
